FBI warns hackers stealing intimate images via social media account breaches
Original: FBI says cybercriminals are hacking into victims’ online accounts to steal their intimate pictures
Why This Matters
Rising sextortion attacks targeting minors highlight urgent gaps in social media account security and user awareness.
The FBI issued an alert warning that cybercriminals are hacking into social media accounts of adults and children to steal intimate images and videos, using social engineering, brute-force attacks, and phishing. Victims are then subjected to sextortion, stalking, and harassment.
The FBI has issued a public advisory warning that cybercriminals are targeting social media accounts to steal intimate explicit images and videos from both adults and children. Attackers primarily rely on social engineering tactics, including impersonating customer service representatives from platforms such as Instagram, brute-forcing accounts using previously leaked passwords, and sending phishing emails via fake login pages mimicking legitimate social media sites.
The FBI noted that 'student-athletes are frequently targeted due to their public profiles.' Once images are stolen, victims face re-victimization through sextortion, stalking, harassment, and even having stolen content advertised on the victims' own social media pages.
Rachel Tobac, CEO of security awareness firm SocialProof Security, stated that these attacks disproportionately target young boys and called the trend 'a big public health issue,' noting that some victims are driven to self-harm.
The FBI advises using unique passwords stored in a password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication, remaining suspicious of unsolicited contacts claiming to represent social media companies, and avoiding storing intimate images in online accounts.