Dangers of Posting Your COVID-19 Vaccine Card
The COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out. The fortunate people that receive it are understandably grateful and happy. In this celebratory spirit, they snap a smiling picture with the evidence of the vaccine in hand. What could go wrong? This post looks at the possible danger of sharing personal documents online. Airplane tickets, credit cards, checks, and other documents are also shared online by people looking to tout their new adventures or success. The danger from these documents is the same.
Sharing Images of Sensitive Documents
A clever hacker or prankster can take a nugget of information and turn it into more. A recent podcast episode of Darknet Diaries detailed how a cybersecurity researcher did just that. The researcher took an Instagram post from former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot with a plane ticket and started researching. Eventually, he uncovered the Prime Minister’s passport number and other sensitive information. The COVID Vaccine Card likely has the full name, birth date, and other sensitive information.
After getting that additional personal information, any number of malicious activities could take place. A hacker could recover passwords or usernames from accounts for banking or even work-related accounts. Information can also be used in phishing campaigns to connections of the person in question. In a situation unique to COVID, scammers might even use the designs to create fake cards, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Stop Over-Sharing
The negative impact of information being revealed extends beyond individuals. Criminals can use stolen information to harm the organizations the victim works for or uses. Companies can combat the negative impacts of over-sharing by implementing multi-factor authentication or monitoring suspicious activity with a Managed Detection & Response (MDR) tool.
The most effective way to stop attacks that start with oversharing is to be more cautious in the details you reveal on social media and online. Instead of posting the whole vaccine card, simply post the sticker you might have received or share the happy news without imagery.
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