Play it safe in cyberspace
South Africans are sharing too much personal information on social media, allowing cybercriminals to exploit them for their personal gain
Cybersecurity experts says South Africans are sharing too much personal information on social media, allowing cybercriminals to exploit them for their personal gain.
Cybersecurity experts from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have urged the public to be mindful of what they post on social media and to carefully check the permission lists when they download applications (apps).
CSIR researchers Dr Vukosi Marivate, Muyowa Mutemwa, Nyalleng Moorosi and Thulani Mashiane showcased their research in social mining data, network vulnerability, data science for public safety and cybersecurity awareness recently.
The researchers said allowing apps more access on your phone than required could lead to security risks and expose personal information.
Some apps require access to your exact location, revealing details such as your address, workplace and email account details.
Some people post pictures of their vehicles with a number plate clearly visible, making it easier for criminals to clone the registration number.
“Be vigilant when you share information on social media,” said Mashiane.
She cautioned South Africans to stay away from installing suspicious apps, saying they should only download apps from original and reputable websites or app stores.
Think before you click
“Don’t overshare.Think before you click. Personal information can be used to answer security questions for certain accounts, identity theft, direct marketing and by stalkers. Cybercriminals are also targeting kids through games,” said Mashiane, urging parents to check every game their children play.
Mashiane cited the game called Blue Whale, which targets mainly vulnerable teenagers by assigning
them to do tasks set out, with the final challenge asking the player to commit suicide.
“Parents please check what kids are doing on their phones. Many teenagers are killing themselves because of these games. In this game, participants are expected to share photos of the challenges completed by them. This includes cutting themselves, killing animals and eventually killing themselves,” she said.
Watch your money
Speaking on network vulnerability, researcher
Mutemwa warned South Africans about using public and open networks for banking transactions.
“Cybercriminals love public open networks such as internet café networks, coffee shop Wi-Fi and conference Wi-Fi. Use secure networks for banking – no banking or social networking on public Wi-Fi,” he said.
South Africans are also looking into crypto-currency investments that promise high returns.
“It is important to note quick returns are not a solution because we have seen millions of dollars lost when these schemes collapse,” said Mutemwa.
Senior data scientist, Dr Marivate, conducted a study on social media mining safety. He leads a Data Science team at the
CSIR.The team develops social media analytics, mapping and geo-location tools.
“We are developing a tool to help law enforcement agencies, government and non-profit organisations to understand the trends in crime and public safety,” Marivate said.
He added that there are still limitations to using social media data.
“We need to understand the limits and biases that can be introduced by relying only on social media data that might represent only a subset of the population or perpetuate discrimination, given past data,” he said.