A new trend has emerged on Instagram where users share their responses to 11 personal questions, including age, height, date of birth, and other queries such as phobias.
Despite appearing harmless, cybersecurity experts have warned about this emerging trend, according to a Daily Mail report.
Cybersecurity risk analyst and strategist Eliana Shiloh posted a video on TikTok cautioning her followers about the "Get to Know Me" trend, urging them to delete any related posts and videos immediately.
Shiloh explained that the trend could give hackers the opportunity to defraud users, as many people use this exact information as passwords across various domains, from online banking services to email accounts and credit cards.
In the video, she said, "I won't lie, I was almost a victim of this myself." While sharing her personal phobias, she paused to realize that some of the questions corresponded to her security question answers.
She promptly posted another video on TikTok, insisting everyone delete any posts related to this trend right away.
However, some of her followers were skeptical, believing their responses were unrelated to their passwords or security questions.
The "Get to Know Me" trend could potentially offer hackers an opportunity to defraud users (Al Jazeera).
In response, Shiloh made another video explaining why listing personal information online could be dangerous. She mentioned, "By using your date of birth, they can find out a lot about you and use that information to breach some of your accounts."
While the trend initially appeared in Instagram stories, which disappear after 24 hours, many users reposted it on TikTok using the hashtag #GettoKnowMe, making it a quick and easy way for hackers to access personal details.
The UK’s Ministry of Justice supports Shiloh's warning, advising everyone to "think before posting anything online or sharing information in emails." It emphasized the risk of sharing information with strangers as one of the largest internet dangers.
Similarly, the National Cyber Security Alliance cautions against sharing personal information with anyone. They pointed out that "many people take internet security lightly, willingly and carelessly sharing their private data without any concerns. The first line of defense for your personal data is you. If you share your personal information online, you risk exposing it through a data breach at the company you've shared it with."
