Cybersecurity firm ESET provided information on doxing, which has recently become a tool for social pressure on individuals. He shared what users should watch out for to avoid exposure to doxing.

According to a study published in the United Kingdom in June, 19 percent of study participants were victims of doxing (also spelled doxing or doxxing), an act in which attackers share their victims’ personal information online with the aim to be embarrassing or intimidating. stated they were. Doxing is defined as investigating and disseminating personal or identifying information about a person or organization on public platforms. It comes from the expression “docs”, short for “documents”, which refers to online leaked files containing personal information of the victim.

With doxing, malicious individuals attempt to intimidate, embarrass or severely insult their victims in order to seek money, retaliate or obtain their own justice. Doxing can be done by individuals and groups you don’t know, as well as people you know. Doxing can lead to a range of consequences, from cyberbullying to stalking and harassing the person in the real world, and even attacking the person to killing the person.

Anyone can be a victim one day

The reason doxing is such a great danger lies in the possibility that everyone will become a victim one day. While it’s up to us to choose who follows us on social media and adjust our privacy settings, we can’t prevent everything malicious people do. Some of these people leak the personal information of others out of sheer boredom. In recent years, however, doxing has taken on a new purpose. Doxing has become a tool of societal pressure on individuals as villains expose to their victims what they believe to be misconduct and social harm.

Younger generations at risk

Doxing is becoming more and more common in the online world. The more time people spend online, the more they compromise their security. Doxing over a simple disagreement or rivalry over an online video game is enough to create a huge emotional charge out of fear of the consequences and embarrassment, especially when children are involved. Platforms such as Twitch, Steam, Discord and Roblox can create a false sense of security as most interactions take place between user IDs and player avatars. Small details, however, are enough for people who are determined to dox to get more personal information. For example, they can search for the target user ID on Twitter to find out more information about the victim and their friends list.

But this isn’t just limited to games. Virtual school resources based on video platforms or social media can also become a threat if there are no privacy rules for both schools and parents.

How to avoid exposure to doxing?

There are some ways you can make it harder for someone to collect information about you online:

• Clean up your digital footprint.
• Do not share personal information online.
• Use two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication (2FA, MFA) for all your accounts.
• Use a strong and unique password.
• Make sure your video meetings and calls are private and encrypted.
• Do not open any online links until you are sure they were sent intentionally by someone you know. When in doubt, ask those people! Do not open these links if they were sent by an unknown person.

What should you do if you are exposed to doxing?

• First, don’t blame yourself for evil intentions. Remember that we are all at risk.
• Report and block them using the appropriate tools on the platform where the harassment took place.
• Take a screenshot of all the details that can support this event.
• Make sure all your social media accounts are private and consider freezing them for a while.
• Tell your friends or family what happened, especially if your home or work address has been disclosed.
• Inform your bank about this situation and make sure that your credit card details are secured.
• Consider contacting the police.

Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency