Are you fond of answering Facebook quizzes?
Recently, netizens have been hooked in answering Facebook quizzes. For a few minutes, these quizzes takes away netizens’ stress and boredom giving them an innocent source of enjoyment.
But did you know that this seemingly harmless and fun activity can compromise your personal data? Unbelievably, these quizzes can actually trick you to give hackers access to your email and even your bank accounts.
A report by NBC News revealed that hackers are taking advantage of Facebook quizzes so they can squeeze personal information from people. On the other hand, clickbait experts believe hackers are using quizzes in order to hijack accounts and attract others to reveal their personal information.
So how does this online scheme work?
Facebook quizzes are often disguised as malicious links that create online security breaches. After you answer these quizzes, hackers can connect to your Facebook account and actually extract data while others load up malware to your device without your knowledge.
Florida Center of Cybersecurity Managing Director Sri Sri Sridharan warned the public: “It seems harmless but you never know who is really asking you for that information.”
“The more they know about you, the more ways they can trick you into doing something like clicking on a link that you should not click,” he said.
Here are some tips to prevent becoming a victim of this online scheme.
1. Take part in quizzes only if they come from reputable sites.
2. Be cautious of quizzes and polls that request you to sign in, particularly those that ask for email addresses. Keep in mind that your email address should be treated like a bank account.
3. Don’t always trust links sent to you by friends.
--Mini, The Summit Express
Recently, netizens have been hooked in answering Facebook quizzes. For a few minutes, these quizzes takes away netizens’ stress and boredom giving them an innocent source of enjoyment.
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| PHOTO CREDIT: BetaNews |
A report by NBC News revealed that hackers are taking advantage of Facebook quizzes so they can squeeze personal information from people. On the other hand, clickbait experts believe hackers are using quizzes in order to hijack accounts and attract others to reveal their personal information.
So how does this online scheme work?
Facebook quizzes are often disguised as malicious links that create online security breaches. After you answer these quizzes, hackers can connect to your Facebook account and actually extract data while others load up malware to your device without your knowledge.
Florida Center of Cybersecurity Managing Director Sri Sri Sridharan warned the public: “It seems harmless but you never know who is really asking you for that information.”
“The more they know about you, the more ways they can trick you into doing something like clicking on a link that you should not click,” he said.
Here are some tips to prevent becoming a victim of this online scheme.
1. Take part in quizzes only if they come from reputable sites.
2. Be cautious of quizzes and polls that request you to sign in, particularly those that ask for email addresses. Keep in mind that your email address should be treated like a bank account.
3. Don’t always trust links sent to you by friends.
--Mini, The Summit Express
