Icelanders are advised to review their privacy and security settings on Facebook now more than ever- Hackers are on the prowl.People should set Facebook so that only friends of friends can send them friend requests. People are also encouraged to be critical of the friend requests they receive. Many Facebook users have noticed an increasing number of friend requests from people they don’t know of late. Hackers are behind those requests; they have stolen Icelandic names and even pictures and set up fake accounts.
According to Theodór Gíslason, with the Internet security firm Syndis, this is a new brand of hacking that comes with new technology. “With more technical knowledge fraud and theft have reached new levels. Hackers now enter into people’s homes trough Facebook and other Internet media that we use daily. He thinks this brand of hacking is bound to increase so people need to keep their guard up, he said in a radio interview on Channel II, RUV reports.
He went on to say there can be a variety of reasons behind the friend requests, but most common is embezzlement. He recommends reviewing privacy settings, set them so only friends of friends can send requests and warns people to be critical of requests, examine the profile of the individual that wants to friend you and see if this person is new to Facebook, if he/she is a member of an unusual amount of groups or just if they seem like someone familiar to you. “If you have a critical attitude in this, as in your other internet activities, the less likely you are to be subject to fraud and hackers” he concluded.