Among the clickjacking and shady app threats lurking on Facebook, there is another, more insidious threat to your security lurking on social networks.
You. Sophos makes an excellent point about status update games and the potential security risks they could pose during certain games. The older practice of using your first pet’s name and the street you grew up on was supplanted last week by a similar game on Facebook and Twitter. Per the viral update, using the first name of a grandparent coupled with a hyphenated first pet-street you grew up on combo would generate a Royal Wedding guest name.
Sound benign? It generally is, except that if you’ve played the game, you’ve essentially answered every security question ever asked about you to reset a password or gain access to one of your accounts. Sarah Palin- admittedly not the sharpest tool in the shed, although definitely a tool- saw her account hacked on Yahoo because someone was able to use such information to satisfy her security questions.
A security expert at Sophos said:
“Don’t post this kind of personal information onto the internet. The few seconds worth of amusement you may get by telling people your royal wedding guest name is not worth the potential pain of having your identity stolen.” He also suggests lying when sites ask questions to reset your password.
Did you consider the implications of sharing this information when the status game first went viral?
[ Sophos via Consumerist, Image ]
