July 29, 2021 - Are you familiar with the posts or quizzes on your favorite social media site asking your favorite song in high school? What was the first car you owned? What high school did you attend? What seems like a fun game to pass the time could in fact be putting your personal digital accounts at risk.
Many websites that require a username and password use “security questions” to authenticate you and provide a way for you to reset your password. You do this by answering a few questions about your life that only you should know when creating the account. However, malicious agents are using new tactics to gain access to your account through these questions. Those quizzes on social media can expose your security question answers and in turn, put your internet accounts at risk of being accessed by someone other than yourself.
Malicious agents could use this information to reset your account passwords and gain access to your accounts. Do not expose yourself unnecessarily when posting on social media and use caution when clicking links to games that seem harmless.
STOP. THINK. DO NOT SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION!
For more information contact CSUCI's Information Security Team at infosec@csuci.edu or visit www.csuci.edu/its/security.