Be Careful! These Three Social Media Are Often Targeted By Hackers

Social media that are often targeted by hackers (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Currently, social media is an important platform that must be owned by the community, especially for young people. By using this platform, people can find and share information.

However, the popularity of social media makes this platform an easy target for cybercriminals. This happens because social media has a lot of personal data and is usually connected to other platforms so that data theft can occur between platforms.

To avoid hacking attempts, you need to strengthen the security of your social media accounts. However, before that, you need to know what apps the hacker targets. Here's the list, citing from Makeuseof.

Facebook

This app has three billion active users every month and can be accessed worldwide. As one of the largest and oldest social media, Facebook stores a lot of personal information so it cannot be separated from the targets of cybercriminals.

There is a lot of data that can be stolen from a Facebook account, starting from the date of birth of the email address information, phone number, location of residence, to payment details. Usually, all this data can be obtained using a phishing or malware fraud method.

Instagram

Instagram is the second popular application that is also being targeted by cybercriminals. This platform not only stores photos and videos, but also becomes a monetization tool for creators. This social media is filled with influencers, business people, and other big accounts.

Hackers are happy to target large accounts with a large number of followers. Usually, the crime model on Instagram is account theft to commit fraud. However, some hackers also blackmail the owner of a large account to get a ransom.

WhatsApp

Even though it is end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp is not completely safe. This application can still be accessed by hackers by targeting user authentication. For example, users do phishing in order to take over the victim's account.

If you have managed to steal a user's account, the fraud method is almost the same as the one found on Instagram. Hackers can trick the victim's contacts into getting money or spreading malicious links to infiltrate other WhatsApp accounts.

Of these applications, the most appropriate way to protect your account is to use a strong and unique password. Avoid using a standard or predictable password. In addition, do not easily believe in other people.

Never open links from unknown people or from foreign websites. Also avoid giving authenticity codes to anyone who contacts you, including those claiming to be social media managers on the grounds that there was an 'account error'.