DM Monitoring
BAKU: Electronic Security Service (ESS), a coordinating executive body under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, attaches great importance to cybersecurity education, which is one of its activity directions, a source in the ministry told.
According to the source, all issues within the direction of the service are constantly under strict control. “The Electronic Security Service receives appeals from citizens, regarding information security and cyber security through Cert.az website, ‘1654’ hotline and its profiles in social networks, keeps all of the appeals in the center of attention, conducts respective investigations on this issue and provides methodological and coordination support,” the source said.
“As it’s known, the best way to protect oneself from any attack is awareness. From this point of view, in order to educate and inform the population in the field of cybersecurity, www.cert.az regularly posts warnings and recommendations on various topics in the field of cybersecurity.”
“An example of this are the recent cyber theft cases faced by our country. Thus, according to the information received by the Electronic Security Service, in our country there are massive cyber hacks of the accounts of social network users.”
“For example, one such method is when cyber criminals use fake “I forgot my password” notifications, send fake links for password recovery to user mobile phones, and track their actions,” the source noted.
The Electronic Security Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies calls on Azerbaijani citizens to be especially careful, take security of social media accounts seriously and to pursue the following general rules.
Don’t click on suspicious links
• One of the most common reasons for hacking social media accounts is that users are trapped by cyber fraudsters (phishing).
• Cyber fraudsters use various techniques to hack login accounts. A user, when clicking on the link, is redirected to a fake login page on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks and enters a username and password, only to expose himself/herself.
• These messages can appear come from anywhere, including a user’s friends in social networks.
Use strong and unique passwords
• Weak passwords are one of the most common reasons for hacking social media accounts. Make sure to pick strong passwords. Do not use personal information while setting your password or combinations of words/numbers that are easy to figure out. Don’t share your mobile or email notifications about your social media account
• Don’t forward or share e-mails, links, notifications, sent to you, about your account. These notifications contain sensitive information about your account and make it easy to intercept your accounts. Be careful when granting third-party apps and sites access to your account
• When creating a new account to simplify the process, we often come across options such as “Sign in with Facebook” and “Sign in with Google”. Remember that trusted or secure sites and applications also provide other basic registration tools (such as using email). First, check the reliability of the app or web-site.
• Also check what information is available in your social account for third-party applications that you have given permission. Remove apps you are not using.
Don’t forget to update
• Update your browser and operating system regularly. Use antivirus software.
• The email used in conjunction with the account must be accessible and the mobile phone number must be active!
• Practice has shown that users often forget the email password used during registration or enter inactive mobile phone numbers. Remember that this email is used to recover your account when intercepted. Don’t forget to sign out of your account on public or shared devices.
