Facebook data breach revelations: Cyber agency cautions Internet users
Cautioning Internet users against online data thieves after the recent Facebook data breach revelation reports, the Indian cyber security agency has advised them to desist from sharing their vote preferences and Aadhaar details on social media platforms. The Computer Emergency Response Team of India, the agency to combat hacking and phishing and mandated to fortify the country's Internet domain security, has issued an advisory.
Advisory asks social media users 'not to share personal information'
The advisory by CERT-In has asked Facebook and other social media users "not to share their personally identifiable information (PII) or personal information (PI) on these sites or apps." "Users should not share official data or personal secrets on social media messaging platforms," said CERT-In. The CERT-In specified that the advisory was being issued in the backdrop of the recent Facebook users' data compromises.
"Facebook admitted there has been a data breach"
"Facebook admitted there has been a data breach...the personal data tracked was used by various external parties for unauthorized activities," said the advisory. "Social media users should never share details like their vote preferences, PIN, passwords, credit card details, banking details, passport details, Aadhaar card details and all other details which are meant to be kept secret for personal safety and security," it added.
Users advised to take diligent measures to safeguard personal data
"In the wake of this development, the users are advised to take diligent measures to safeguard their personal data," the advisory said. The Electronics and Information Technology Ministry had last week asked Cambridge Analytica, the firm allegedly at the center of Facebook data breach scandal, to furnish a list of clients and the source of data it had collected from India.
Reports of political parties using the data during elections arise
The notice came after reports that political parties had used the data analytics firm during elections. The cybersecurity sleuths' organization said the users of the cyberspace should stick to the "best practices" like non-posting of private information and non-disclosure of an individual's location. "Facebook being part of a public network could allow easy access to information which should not be disclosed," it said.
The dos and dont's
The advisory also suggested some more dos and don'ts and advised the users that in case of a data breach, they should immediately approach the help desk of the concerned social media platform and also lodge a complaint with the cyber wing of the police.
"Do not open messages received from untrusted sources"
It suggested users against letting unverified applications access their Facebook account. It asked users to be diligent in giving permission to third-party apps in accessing their public profile. "Do not open messages received from untrusted sources or received unexpectedly from trusted sources and use strong account-specific passwords, use a mix of different types of characters to make the password harder to crack," it stated.
Internet users should "close" dormant accounts
It advised that Internet users should "close" dormant accounts as they could be compromised without the user's knowledge. "Assess the applications being used in your mobile devices or browsers as most of the applications either use Facebook or Google to sign in. Also, keep all the mobile apps updated and update the security settings on social networks regularly," it said.
