According research of Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, only a small number of users understand the risks associated with the active use of social networks. In fact, those who use portable devices to visit social media are at greater risk.
Research shows that social networking is one of the most popular Internet activities. Overall, social networking was the third most popular activity after accessing and reading email. It is even more popular with mobile devices as it occupies second place.
At the same time, 78% of the participants stated that they do not believe that hackers are interested in them or that they are not concerned at all about this issue. One in ten users share private information with strangers, while 15% of respondents use social networks to exchange information that you would never reveal in real life. Additionally, 12% of respondents enter data into online accounts while connected to public networks Wi-Fi. Just 18% believe they reveal more personal information than they should on social networks. Also, just 7% of respondents said social media passwords are among the three types of information they fear losing.
Careless behavior of users can lead to unpleasant consequences. Attackers often search social media for information left by users unknowingly. This information can contribute to a crime. Among other things, email addresses can be used for fraud, and some information can help criminals to crack passwords or identify a user. In addition, if digital fraudsters gain access to users' accounts, they have even more opportunities at their disposal, such as sending malicious links and files to the victim's "friends", spying on personal data that will later be sold on the black market, etc.
Statistics show that hacker's interest in social networks is unimportant. According components of Kaspersky Security Network for 2013, its products Kaspersky Lab have prevented more than 600 millions of attempts to visit websites Phishing. It is noted that over 35% of these pages mimicked social networking sites. Also, research shows that 40% of users encountered suspicious messages asking them to follow an unknown link or download a potentially malicious file. At the same time, 21% of users received email that allegedly came from a social network in an attempt to spy on the user's account information.
In addition, mobile device users often put themselves at greater risk. As soon as 6% of respondents said hackers had "invaded" their accounts on social networks, the corresponding percentage among tablet owners with Androin's operating system rose to 13%. In addition, the number of victims varies not only depending on the device used but also on the place of residence of the users. For example, 16% of users in China and the Asia Pacific region reported that they were the victim of unauthorized access to social network accounts. The corresponding figure in Russia reached 19%, while significantly smaller was in Japan (2%) and in North America (4%).
To protect them against social networking scams, users can follow some simple rules:
- Use strong passwords and disable auto-fill feature, especially if your account is signed in via your smartphone or tablet.
- Restriction of information shared on the network. Users are advised to divide their "friends" into groups, so that they share something very personal only with those they really trust.
- Generally, users should not "download" or "follow" links if they are not sure who sent them and why.
- Before entering the login, users need to make sure they have not visited a fake page that is intended to be tapped.
- It is recommended to use secure network connections and to avoid accessing access elements when using a hotspot.
In any case, users should be sure that the device with which they visit a social network is well protected. This is why it is recommended to use a password on the device and a reliable security solution.
For example, the new version of the solution Kaspersky Internet Security - Multi-Device, recently introduced by Kaspersky Lab, can protect multiple devices, be it Microsoft-based computers Windows or Apple OS X, either for smartphones and tablets running Android, iOS or Windows Phone. The anti-Phishing a feature that covers all of the above platforms, checks the site that the user visits and verifies the authenticity of their certificates, offering protection against fraudsters. In addition, Windows device owners, Android and OS X are protected against possible attempts to intercept their login details via malware such as keyloggers ή Trojans που «δημιουργούν» επιπλέον πλαστά πεδία σε νόμιμες ιστοσελίδες. Τέλος, το Kaspersky Internet Security it has features to monitor Wi-Fi connections, warning users in case the connection is not sufficiently protected and could be used to intercept personal data.
