If the last few weeks of Facebook scandals have revealed anything, it’s that the social network already knows way too much about us. But in case you needed another reason to stop giving Facebook your personal info here’s a good one: it could get your online accounts hacked.
A recent post from Krebs on Security points out that Facebook is full of popular pages asking for the type of information typically used in security questions to protect your account. Seemingly innocuous status updates asking for details on your first pet or the street you grew up on may seem like fun, but there’s a decent chance that same information is keeping your online identity safe from hackers.
A quick scan of Facebook reveals a ton of posts just like this with hundreds, or even thousands, of responses on each. One great example, posted by a tire shop, asks, “What car did you learn to drive stick shift on?” For plenty of people, the response could be used to answer the popular security question: What was your first car? Other similar posts asked for info on first jobs, childhood pets, high school mascots, first grade teachers, and the first concert you went to.
No one’s accusing these Facebook pages of purposefully phishing for data. For most, it’s likely just an attempt to get more online engagement, but once you put your private data online it never goes away. So next time, skip that Facebook post asking for personal info and keep it to yourself.
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