by Cara McGoogan, The Telegraph (excerpt)
Security experts have raised concerns about the rapidly-spreading “10 concerts” Facebook meme that appears innocuous but could be a gift to hackers.
The viral posts ask users to share a list of nine gigs they have been to and one that they haven’t. Their friends are then encouraged to guess which one is a lie.
Most people are happy to share a wealth of personal information on their Facebook profiles and for the most part, oversharing is harmless and a key part of life online. But it can also put people at risk of fraud and identity theft.
The seemingly harmless Facebook game, which is similar to other viral memes such as the ice bucket challenge, could actually be a trick, security experts have warned.
“In its essence, it could simply be fun, a low investment way to get to know your network and stimulate conversations,” said Brian Solis, a digital analyst. “But, in some cases, memes can be deceptively dangerous.”
The meme could be a way for hackers to determine a crucial piece of information about users: the first concert they went to.
A user’s first concert is a common security question on online accounts and could hand malicious observers the key to finding out users’ passwords.
“When live shows are added to other information from a user’s profile, hackers can then approximate age, interests, religion to gain access to everything from your password to your financial information and more,” said Solis.
Similar concerns have been raised in the past about quizzes on the social network, which can give fraudsters access to Facebook profiles and personal information.
One way to protect yourself from such cyber attacks, experts suggest, is to answer security questions with obscure answers. For example, Solis said your mother’s maiden name could be “Eggs-Benedict” or the street you grew up on “Bologna Flying Saucer Sandwiches Ave”.
Users should also be diligent when sharing information online and think carefully about how it could be used against them. […]
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