Oversharing Is Making Internet User Vulnerable To Hackers [INFOGRAPHIC]

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The user base of the internet has increased manifold to gulp the globe almost. With the invasion of new mobile devices like smartphone and tablet, it has reached the fingertips of the people. This has resulted in 3.2 billion internet users worldwide and the count is expected to reach 7.6 billion by 2019.

At the same time, with the advent of social media, internet users are exposed like never before. Due to the interference of internet and mobile in our personal life, it is imperative for the users to expose more personal information to be a part of the connected world. However, most of the end up indulging in activities and tools that demand more information about ourselves making us vulnerable to hackers.

On the flip side, when a lot of users’ information is available on the internet, the cyber security breaches happen. An infographic from Digitalguardian highlights the loss owing to the cyber security breach and there are few tips for the internet users to safeguard their personal information on the internet.

So, here are few main findings and highlights of the infographic:

  • In 2014, 1 billion records were stolen and companies lost $375 to $575 billion. Consumers lost $3,300 on an average in 2013. Between 2013 and 2014 the number of attacks increased by 70%.
  • Attackers find more value in stealing twitter accounts than Credit card information. Twitter passwords are sold for more than credit card information in the black market.
  • Besides some personal information which is inevitable to hide in this digital era, the GPS location through Wi-fi or Bluetooth signal, the Phone information like the service provider, time zone, make and model, operating system, battery percentage are being tracked without our consent.
  • This is not limited only to our devices; our social media habits are tracked through the frequency of social media usage, likes, and interests, social networking interactions, and visits to partner websites based on ads.
  • A survey commissioned by the USA network in May 2015 claimed that if the young population had an option to start fresh 55% of them would never join social media at all.
  • Hackers could gain monetary benefits from the hacked data by demanding the ransom on embarrassing conversations or photos. In fact, by gaining access to our information they can use our identity to open fake bank accounts.

Apart from the above details, the infographic also provides some tips to keep away from these attacks:

  • Passwords are the key to online accounts. Keep them strong, unique, and complex to avoid the security breach.
  • Before sharing or posting any update analyze the risk involved and how it benefits the cyber criminals.
  • Focus on the privacy settings on the social profiles and keep them intact.
  • Social media is not a place for sensitive information specially the financial data, account credentials, confidential company information, or personal information. Avoid sharing, discussing anything on any of the digital forum or platform.

social-media-oversharing-security-risks-infographic

 

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