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Hackers using Facebook quizzes to harvest personal data: Report
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Once answered, hackers can easily hijack personal accounts and use them to lure in more victims. (Shutterstock/File)
I
f you’re an avid Facebook user, chances are you’ve stumbled upon those random quizzes online, where one can share the result afterwards.
However, these seemingly harmless questionnaires could actually be used by hackers to infiltrate your personal data.
According to Sri Sridharan, the managing director at the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, some Facebook quizzes are actually being used to trick people into providing personal information and make money.
“It seems harmless but you never know who’s really asking you for that information,” he told WMACAction News.
The tech expert shared that hackers oftentimes use these quizzes to mask malicious links, which could create online security breaches.
Read also: Facebook gets serious about fighting fake news
Once answered, hackers can easily hijack personal accounts and use them to lure in more victims.
“The more they know about you, the more ways they can trick you into doing something like clicking on a link you should not click on,” Sridharan said.
To protect one’s personal information, Sridharan recommended taking part in quizzes coming from reputable sites.
He also advised users to be wary of of quizzes and polls that want you to sign in, as well as to be selective on tests asking for email addresses.
This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
