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Hackers have been using social media for some time now, but recently a new tactic is on the rise. You may have noticed when a news article shows up on your feed about a terrible accident or scandal, everyone has something to say in the comments. This includes hackers.

How Do Hackers Use Links on Social Media?

Hackers have started to use the comment section to prey on unsuspecting individuals looking for information. Usually, they will claim to have video of a particular incident or have been present at the event with exclusive footage. The comments will look something like the photo below:

This photo was taken from the comments section of a real KXAN post. As you can see almost every comment is a hacker. Sometimes there will only be one or two, but in this case, it was easy to determine something malicious was going on.

What Can Happen if I Click on a Malicious Link?

If you click on a malicious link the hacker can download malware into your computer and steal information from your data. This puts your financial accounts, passwords, digital assets, and more at risk. Some may even download ransomware which will threaten to lock your files until you pay a ransom.

What Does Malicious Link Look Like?

A malicious link looks just like a regular YouTube video link or website, though you may notice the web address is shorter. You can see in the photo above that the web address and the link do not match. It says the video is on YouTube, but the link does not. Make sure you pay attention to the wording before the link as well. If it seems attention-grabbing or says “amateur video” then steer clear.

How Can I Prevent Malicious Links on Social Media?

While you might not be able to fully prevent malicious links on social media, you can report them. If you see a link that looks like it could be malicious, click the three dots in the right-hand corner of the comment and select “report comment”. This can help prevent the same profiles from continuing to post malicious links.

That’s all for this week, see you next time for Tech Tip Tuesday!