Celebrities: they’re just like us! Well, at least in the sense that they still face common cyberthreats. This week, “Avengers: Endgame” actor Robert Downey Jr. was added to the list of celebrities whose social media accounts have been compromised. According to Bleeping Computer, a hacker group managed to take control of the actor’s Instagram account, sharing enticing but phony giveaway announcements.
The offers posted by the hackers included 2,000 iPhone XS devices, MacBook Pro laptops, Tesla cars, and more. In addition to the giveaways added to the actor’s story page, the hackers also changed the link in his account bio, pointing followers to a survey page designed to collect their personal information that could be used for other scams. The tricky part? The hackers posted the link using the URL shortening service Bitly, preventing followers from noticing any clues as to whether the link was malicious or not.
This incident serves as a reminder that anyone with an online account can be vulnerable to a cyberattack, whether you have superpowers or not. In fact, over 22% of internet users reported that their online accounts have been hacked at least once, and more than 14% said that they were hacked more than once. Luckily, there are some best practices you can follow to help keep your accounts safe and sound:
- Don’t interact with suspicious messages, links, or posts. If you come across posts with offers that seem too good to be true, they probably are. Use your best judgment and don’t click on suspicious messages or links, even if they appear to be posted by a friend.
- Alert the platform. Flag any scam posts or messages you encounter on social media to the platform so they can stop the threat from spreading.
- Use good password hygiene. Make sure all of your passwords are strong and unique.
- Don’t post personal information. Posting personally identifiable information on social media could potentially allow a hacker to guess answers to your security questions or make you an easier target for a cyberattack. Keep your personal information under wraps and turn your account to private.
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