Millions of Facebook users warned of ‘Christmas hacks’ – check your login now
CHRISTMAS is a time for joy and merriment – but it’s also when hackers and fraudsters strike.
Cyber experts have warned Facebook users to be careful over the holiday season.
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It is an attempt to avoid falling victim to an increase in digital fraud.
So it’s more important than ever to check your Facebook account and make sure it’s in good shape.
Fraudsters and hackers prey on shopping habits, festive goodwill and new technology to hijack your accounts.
Facebook has billions of users worldwide, so it’s a prime target for cybercriminals.
We spoke to several cyber experts who revealed how you can stay safe on Facebook this Christmas.
“Our first tip to stay safe while using Facebook this Christmas is to check which apps from other companies you’ve used Facebook to sign in to,” Jamie Ahktar, chief executive of CyberSmart, told The Sun.
“While most of these apps will be legitimate, most of us have used a questionable quiz or game app in our time.
“And the problem is that these apps can often be used by cybercriminals to hack your account or steal data.
“The good news is that it’s a very simple fix that shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
“Just go to the privacy settings of your account and clear “outside Facebook history”.
“Doing this once every six months or so is a simple but effective way to improve your online security.”
Many hackers and scammers will try to impersonate your loved ones.
This is an easy way to get money out of you on apps like Facebook – without even having to hijack your accounts.
“Watch out for messages purporting to come from friends or family asking for donations, loans and other possible financial problems,” Chris Hauk, consumer privacy chief at Pixel Privacy, told The Sun.
“Also, never click on the ads in your Facebook feed, as this is a popular method among scammers to part with your money and credit card information.”
Ultimately, one of the best ways to stay safe is to simply secure your account with a strong password.
Don’t reuse passwords across sites, and never choose one that’s short or simple either.
“Ironically, some of the best ways to keep yourself safe this Christmas aren’t even high-tech,” Erich Kron, a cyber expert at KnowBe4, told The Sun.
“As always, passwords are a risk for most people, especially when they are reused on different websites.
“Cybercriminals know that if they get one password, it’s likely to work elsewhere, so they work hard to trick people into giving them up.”
Cyber expert Sam Curry added: “In the short term, consumers should protect themselves with strong passwords and also enable two-factor authentication.
“Password reset is always a good security measure, and you’d be surprised how many people today still use the password 123456 or ABCDEF,” explained Cybereason’s chief security officer.
“In this day and age, and with a more complex and diverse attack surface, this is never a good idea.
“Laziness is no excuse, as hackers prey on this and their greatest asset is patience and time.”
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