Cyber Security Experts Release New Safety Guidance
On the 12th of September, Tinder marked its 10th anniversary of singletons posting personal details online in the hope of finding a new partner. Since its release, Tinder has seen over 75 million users.
The Check Point Software Technologies researchers warn that the willingness to overshare, combined with the anonymity of the platform, creates the perfect opportunity for cyber criminals to seek their next victim.
The app has access to personal information such as birthdays, phone numbers, profile pictures and private conversations. This is the sort of information that attracts criminals as they can utilise it to commit identity theft, blackmail or sell it on the dark web.
The CPR team have made a list of possible dangers that users may experience:
- From ‘sexting’ to ‘sextortion’: One of the greatest risks to users who share explicit photos is the chance of blackmail.
- Malware on the prowl: Cyber criminals create attractive profiles, one which users would like to match with. The photo file could contain malware with spyware capable of obtaining passwords.
- Fake romance: Criminals will work to gain the trust of the user in order to find a way to scam them, including setting up long distance relationships.
- Account theft: The dark web contains hundreds of hacked dating profiles at high prices. The data includes emails, passwords and other personal information.
CPR suggest these safety tips:
- Never give confidential information to third parties: Any user that requests confidential information may be a cyber criminal.
- Don’t trust. Don’t rush: If something seems strange, it is better to be suspicious.
- Check profiles: Be wary of newly created profiles.
