Do not store sexually explicit photos or videos on social media or other internet-accessible platforms. Doing so could make you a target for hackers.
According to the FBI, cybercriminals are actively targeting social media platforms in an attempt to gain access to personal accounts and steal photos and videos of nude women.
Once they gain access to intimate content, the attackers distribute or publish it on online forums and communities, or attempt to sell the photos and videos on criminal marketplaces.
Victims’ personal information is also often published alongside the explicit content, including their name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and social media username. This puts victims at risk of being targeted again, according to a warning issued Monday by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
The statement says that attackers use a variety of social engineering and hacking techniques to target both specific individuals and a broader range of potential victims.
For example, hackers create fake domains and email addresses while posing as social media customer support representatives. They then contact the victim and falsely claim that a fraudulent login attempt has been detected on their account. If the victim clicks a malicious link in the email, the attackers may be able to gain access to the account.
There have also been phishing cases in which hackers impersonate social media customer support staff and claim that the victim’s account will be suspended or deleted unless they provide a verification code.
The attackers then initiate a password reset, prompting the legitimate service to send an access code to the victim. If the victim shares the code with the scammers, they can gain access to the account and change the password.
The FBI has also received reports of brute-force attacks. In these cases, attackers use specialized software to try large numbers of username and password combinations until they find a match. Credentials used in such attacks are often obtained from previous data breaches involving companies and organizations or purchased on the dark web.
In its warning, the FBI also provides several security recommendations. First, users are advised not to store nude or sexually explicit photos and videos on social media or other internet-accessible platforms.
The FBI also recommends using strong passphrases, PINs, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Users should avoid creating passwords based on personal information that can be discovered or guessed, such as the name of a loved one or a date of birth.
Users are also advised to be cautious with links in emails and text messages, particularly those related to changing or resetting passwords.
“Do not share login information with anyone, even if the person requesting it claims to represent a platform or service where you have an account. If necessary, go directly to the service’s official website or app to change your password or PIN,” the FBI concluded.
