If you’re a Facebook user, you’ve probably come across this jovial game. You’ll see a picture which is being shared by friends and family, asking you to share your star name, you then click on the comments and you are likely to see hundreds of responses by people who have shared the same picture. Some of the names given are outright hilarious, whilst others seem quite normal and could be the name of the average person on the street. I have to admit mine is pretty good, but I definitely won’t be sharing it with you. Don’t be a spoil sport I hear you say….. Well there’s actually a sinister undertone to this jovial game.
We now live in a world where part of our person is stored online such as our lives via Facebook. We have social media accounts, Apple accounts, Google accounts, Bank accounts, Utilities accounts and the list goes on and will continue to go on. Do you remember when you setup your Facebook account or your Apple account, probably not?
During the setup process of many online accounts you’re asked to provide answers to a set of security questions. Questions such as “What is your first pets name”? or “What is your mother’s maiden name”? You can see where this is going, right? The premise for the star name game is what is your first pets name, and what is your mother’s maiden name? You stick them together and that’s your star name.
Now, you post your star name in the comments below the picture being shared and it is shared with hundreds if not thousands of people, having a bit of a laugh and nothing is thought of it. For you maybe, but it is very likely there is someone on there who is using this information to their advantage.
Depending on how you configure the security on your online profiles on social media you could also be giving them access to additional information such as your email address, home town, parents etc. An unscrupulous individual could use this information to attempt to hack parts of your online identity and other more important services such as Utility and Bank accounts.
When using social media, always stop to think about what you are about to share, as there may be an ulterior motive behind an innocent looking game.
Finally, this game goes by other names so stay vigilant when online.
www.amshhire.co.uk solutions@amshire.co.uk 0330 2020 340 @amshire
