Cybercriminals Hacking Social Media Accounts to Steal Intimate Content

The FBI has issued a public alert warning of a growing cybercrime threat against social media users, with hackers targeting adults and children to steal intimate explicit images and videos. These types of crimes have been known for years, but the FBI's public alert could indicate that they are now on the rise.

FBI Warns of Cybercriminals' Tactics

According to the FBI, cybercriminals rely largely on social engineering tactics to target people, often by brute-forcing accounts using leaked or previously used passwords, impersonating customer service representatives, or contacting targets alleging that they need to recover their account. Some hackers use phishing emails that rely on fake domains that look like legitimate social media log-in pages.

“Victims often face re-victimization through harassment, sextortion, stalking or other targeted attacks, such as advertising stolen content on a victim's own social media page,” the FBI wrote.

Protecting Yourself from Cybercrime

To protect yourself, use unique passwords stored in a password manager, ensure multi-factor authentication is switched on, and be suspicious of anyone reaching out unprompted claiming to work for a social media company. Tech companies generally do not reach out to their customers, and you should avoid storing sensitive and intimate pictures in online accounts.

• Use a password manager to generate and store unique passwords for each of your online accounts.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.
• Be cautious when receiving unsolicited messages or emails claiming to be from social media companies.
• Avoid storing sensitive and intimate pictures in online accounts.

A Growing Public Health Issue

According to Rachel Tobac, the CEO of SocialProof Security, these attacks especially target young boys, and are a “big public health issue,” given that sometimes the victims are driven to self-harm in response. The FBI's public alert highlights the need for increased awareness and action to prevent these types of crimes.