Sharing personal information on social media risky— Cyber security experts

People who share vital and personal information on social media, particularly regarding their date of birth, location, residential addresses and workplaces, stand a high risk of being scammed, an information security company has advised.

According to Mr Mike Komla Etchi, the Managing Director of Delta3 International Ghana, an informational security advisory company, cybercrime in Africa had moved from a ‘419’ scams to much more sophisticated approaches.

Speaking at a cyber security awareness workshop in Accra, he said cyber attacker’s relied on poor security habits of members of the public to succeed in their operations.

“Attackers use various exploits to gain access to a computer or an organisation’s network. Social media is a great way to connect with people, share ideas and exchange information but the public needed to be aware of the risk factors,” Mr Etchi said.

“Social networking is great but consider the impact of posting information, do not post confidential company data or personal sensitive information such as your date of birth or home address,” he said.

He urged companies to get in touch with their information technology (IT) companies or departments once they suspect malware attack.
Mobile phone

Mr Etchi advised that enabling biometrics on mobile phones was the most powerful way to secure the device, and urged mobile phone users to download software only from trusted providers.

He said population growth and digitisation came with new risks and vulnerabilities that could undermine progress.

“As the African continent’s economy moves online, citizens and their infrastructure becomes targets for an increasingly professional cadre of cyber criminals,” he added.

Learning safety

The Managing Director of Delta3 International, Mr Dele Aden, said the workshop was to enable participants learn how to safely protect themselves and their organisations from security risks and possible cyber attacks.

He said the awareness on the menace was increasing to ensure that everybody would have an idea about the activities of unscrupulous hackers in the system.

“Hackers share information and ideas on new tactics to out-smart their victims and it was just appropriate to speak about it so others can also learn from it,” Mr Aden said.

Mr Aden, therefore, called on business owners and individuals to seek knowledge and engage experts on issues concerning cyber security to empower their staff.