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UAE: Sharing pictures online? 7 things hackers can steal from social media posts

Here's how residents can protect themselves from cyber attacks and strike a balance between oversharing online and simply sharing memories

Published: Fri 26 Jul 2024, 6:00 AM

Updated: Fri 26 Jul 2024, 8:35 PM

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As harmless as it may seem, sharing pictures online could come with a heavy price. With the use of advanced technology in the world of scams and frauds, scammers could be using your memories to extract personal information.

Issuing an advisory, the UAE's Cyber Security Council has urged residents to think twice before posting a video or picture on social media.

To avoid cyber threats, users must learn the balance between oversharing online and continuing to share images in a way that will not violate their privacy and also make sure they are having a good time.

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What can hackers take from photos?

As surprising as it may seem, hackers can take vital information from just your photos. Here is a list of information that might be extracted:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Biometric data
  • Job position
  • Medical details
  • Unique identifiers

How to protect yourself

While it may be daunting to learn that you might have to be careful while even simply posting a photo, the good news is that there are ways to protect yourself from unauthorised access, theft, and misuse.

Here are some do's and dont's that must be followed while posting images and videos online.

Do's

  • Review and update privacy settings to control who can access your personal content.
  • Delete sensitive information that might be attached to photos videos.
  • Use strong security measures and encryption applications.
  • Be mindful of what you share online.

Dont's

  • Don't share sensitive videos and photos online.
  • Don't automatically sync your visual content with cloud as this could expose your personal content without you meaning to do so.
  • Don't use weak or reused passwords as this may make your account vulnerable to cyber attacks.

What can oversharing lead to?

Finding the balance between sharing and oversharing might be difficult, but it's important to remember that oversharing could lead to serious threats like:

  • Identity theft
  • Privacy violations
  • Exposure to cyber threats
  • Compromised physical safety

The UAE has set in place multiple platforms that residents can resort to when reporting a cybercrime.

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