Over 55,000 Snapchat users have had their login details posted online as the result of a phishing scam.
The users in question were tricked with a fake Snapchat login screen, which they then entered their login details into.
This isn’t an uncommon method of attack and Snapchat have apologised for the leak, while warning users to be very careful when clicking links.
Mark James, ESET IT Security Specialist, explains that two-factor authentication (2FA) could be a simple fix for this kind of attack.
“It’s bad enough if you get hacked and someone steals your logon credentials to use elsewhere, but more and more of these “hacks” are no more than being tricked into logging into a fake website using your actual username and password.
“Often these links or websites look very real and in some instances you could be forgiven for being tricked, but there is an easy way to stop this.
“By using two-factor authentication you could any mitigate the damage caused by your being tricked.
“Yes of course they have your username and password but if you haven’t reused the password on other sites they can do nothing with it because they do not have your authenticator!
“Whenever someone tries to log in from an unknown device it asks for a code to validate the user, you generate the code using an app, thus proving you are the owner. It’s simple, quick and WILL protect your details from thieves or scammers.”
Do you use 2FA? How many accounts do you use it with? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK.