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Hackers are monitoring social media. Be careful about what you post!

Published on 11-10-2023
Cybercrime poses a big threat to universities. Hackers mainly use phishing emails to infect your computer or your organisation’s network with viruses or ransomware. You too can be their victim. Hackers try to trick you by capitalising on your personal circumstances. They monitor your activity on the internet and social media. Find out how hacker ‘Granny Smith’ gathers information about her target.
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Please watch the videosExternal link and make sure to follow our tips to prevent your personal data from falling into the wrong hands. 

Think carefully about what you share

Do not share any personal data, such as your phone number, home address, email address or student ID number. If you work with sensitive knowledge or technology, then do not mention it on your LinkedIn profile. When you post pictures online, check if there are details in the background of your pictures that you’d like to keep private. Like the name of your street or the license plate of your car. Always ask permission before posting photos on social media that includes others, such as colleagues, lecturers or students. Think twice before sharing information, because once it’s online it can be very hard to remove.
If you want to protect yourself from prying eyes, make sure to watch this video on the Cybersave YourselfExternal link website.

Check your social media privacy settings

Some information you want to share with friends and family, but not with everyone. For example, it’s not a good idea to make your holiday pictures visible to everyone on social media. If you do, criminals will immediately know that you’re not at home. You can control who sees what through your social media account’s privacy settings. Make sure to check these settings regularly, because they change all the time.

Be careful about accepting connection requests on social media

Criminals sometimes create fake accounts to send connection requests. If you accept such a request, these criminals will gain access to your network and profile information, which they then can use for phishing or identity fraud.

Watch the videos: Granny Smith hacks

Granny Smith has found a lucrative side job as a hacker and is keen to share her knowledge with youExternal link.

85% of all hacks result from (careless) human actions

No less than 85% of all hacks result from (careless) human actions. So it’s crucial that you know what you can do to protect yourself. You can find more information about topics like ‘creating strong passwords’, ‘recognising phishing emails’ and ‘basic device security’ at the ICT security web page.

Source: Chief Information Security Office UvA

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