Online Disclosure of Personal Data of 533 Million Facebook Users: Proofpoint Reaction
Phone numbers linked to the Facebook profiles of 533 million users have been posted online for free and illegally. This data breach also affects more than 19 million accounts linked to French users. This data, which had already been stolen in 2019, only reappears a few years later and raises many questions. Jacinta Tobin, Vice President of Cloudmark Operations at Proofpoint, reacts and gives some tips to avoid targeted attacks on mobile phones.
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“Disclosure of personal information online is sure to lead to a huge increase in smishing attacks. This is a trend that we have seen develop, especially during the pandemic. Smishing messages have already increased by 300% each quarter. Over the past 12 months. And while it is true that attackers primarily target consumers, we have seen a worrying increase in cyber attacks against businesses, with more than 81% reporting having suffered a cyberattack in 2020.
These SMS scams often use the pretext of an urgent request combined with a fraudulent branding to trick the user into clicking on a malicious link. Consumers trust mobile messaging and are much more likely to read and access links in text than in email. This level of trust, coupled with the use of mobile devices, makes the mobile channel even more prone to fraud and identity theft.
To fight against these attacks, we recommend that users first make sure that they are registered on anti-canvassing lists like Bloctel and reconfirm their registration even if they think they have already done so, because the register also applies to SMS.
In addition, we encourage mobile phone users to use the SMS spam reporting feature from their voicemail mailboxes, if their carrier has one.
Consumers should remain wary of text messages they receive from unknown sources. It is important to never click on links in text messages, even if they appear realistic. If you want to contact the alleged seller who sends you a link, do so directly on their website and always manually enter the web address / URL. For promo codes, also enter them directly on the site. It is also essential not to reply to text messages from unknown sources. This is how you will confirm to future crooks that you are a real person. “
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