What are “zombie” accounts? Why your old connections are no longer secure

There are so many social media platforms available that you probably have a few that you no longer use. Old social media accounts that you no longer log into are accessible to fraudsters and can even be controlled by them. These accounts are called “zombies” because they were once used by someone, but are now forgotten. Essentially, a scammer can find a way to access your old profile and use it to find information about you or impersonate you.

Apps and services that were popular years ago but have now been abandoned by many users are all easy targets for hackers. Research by Secure Data Recovery shows that around 94% of respondents reported having one or more dead profiles that they haven’t used in the last year, and Pandora is the number one zombie account listed. The list also includes Dropbox, Duolingo and Vimeo. If you have one of these accounts, it may be time to delete your account or, at a minimum, update the password, but there are certain password habits you should avoid.

If you think you have an old account that you haven’t used for more than a year, it is recommended that you find it, create a new password, or simply get rid of it. Otherwise, these zombie accounts are just waiting to be hacked. A Security.org study asked account holders if they had had their social media profile taken over by a hacker, and almost 30% of respondents said yes. Social media accounts were among the most hacked sites, with around 53% of them being hacked by a scammer.

Once hackers take over an account, they can steal your money or your identity. Monetarily, the report found that the average account holder lost about $180, but even worse, it showed that 40 percent of those hacked had their identities stolen by a hacker. Digital fraud is on the rise as research has also shown that zombie accounts have allowed criminals to access employee documents and records by discovering passwords and attempting phishing.

There are steps you can take to better protect yourself and your old social sites and app data from hacking. It is suggested to delete any accounts you are not using. If you sign up for an app that uses your email address and password, make sure it’s one you’ll use for a while. If you intend to use an account only for a trial period or until you no longer need it, make a note to remind yourself to cancel or remove the service.

It is also recommended not to use the same password. Reusing passwords can only make it easier for fraudsters to access your accounts. Instead, it is suggested to have unique passwords and use a password management system to track them. Having two-factor authentication and an antivirus tool can also help. You can also adjust account privacy settings to see what data is shared.

There are a few password managers recommended by Consumer Reports if you want to better monitor your accounts and passwords. It seems that almost everything digital today requires a username and password. So, by putting these ideas into practice, you can better protect your information and prevent future zombie accounts from being left behind.