News - Hacked !

Hackers hit two popular apps The new year started off a bit rocky for popular apps Snapchat and Skype after security breaches last week caused an uproar among social media users. More than 4 million Snapchat user names and user phone numbers were compromised and posted in an online database by unknown hackers, while Skype’s social media accounts reportedly suffered at the hand of the Syrian Electronic Army. A post on the official Skype Twitter page said no user information was compromised as a result of the virtual attack, while the Snapchat Twitter account and blog remain silent. The website hosting the online database of Snapchat numbers and user names posted the area codes of numbers gathered during the breach, but no Mississippi area codes were on this list. Snapchat hackers have blurred out the last two digits of the phone numbers collected, but could potentially release the original file to interested parties in the future. Those who have been affected by the data breach have a few options — the first is to delete the Snapchat application. Though this will not take the phone number or user name out of the database, users can delete their accounts by visiting support.snapchat.com. Take note that deleting an app from a smartphone does not mean that the account has been deactivated. The second thing affected users can do is request a new number from phone providers. This is a good thing to look into as Constellation Research Principal Analyst Steve Wilson told USA Today that phone numbers can be an asset to criminals in social engineering attacks. Though these breaches are not the fault of Snapchat or Skype users, there’s still a lesson to be learned. Not everything users think is private is actually private. Especially online or on web-based applications. Users should always demonstrate caution when sharing private information with apps, websites and even people on a daily basis. And that bit of advice about changing user names and passwords regularly? Follow it. Constantly updating log-in information can make it more difficult for hackers to access accounts. Other things to ask before surrendering personal information: • Is this a secure website or app? • Have I read the privacy policy to assure my information will remain private? • What information am I asked to provide? • Is the information I’m providing relevant to the purpose of the website or app? Users should also be aware of what information they are allowing on public forums. Phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, etc. can add enough value to the information criminals need for compromising users’ identities. With this type of technology becoming increasingly popular and more of a staple in modern society, now is the time to take steps toward being a safer virtual consumer. USA Today contributed to this report.