Facebook trend of sharing high school graduation photos is giving hackers access to online accounts

A sweet sentiment on Facebook has taken a turn for the worst.

Users are sharing their old high school graduation photos in support of the class of 2020, which is spending its senior year at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, warns that hackers can use these posts to find the name of the person’s high school and graduation year – two common security questions used to access online portals.

The organization is urging anyone who has shared the hashtag #ClassOf2020 along with the nostalgic photo to change the security questions on their online accounts.

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Users are sharing their old high school graduation photos in support of the class of 2020 who are spending their senior year at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. But hackers can use these posts to find the name of the person’s high school and graduation year – two common security questions used to access online

The departing Class of 2020 is facing the reality of no graduation ceremony, no prom and the loss of traditions, from senior trips to class competitions – and the Facebook community started the trend to show their support.

‘In support of the Class of 2020, share YOUR senior picture no matter how old you are. Come on friends, dig out those boxes of memories!! Let’s see everyone’s pics! Just copy, paste and change your school/year!!,’ reads one of the posts floating around Facebook.

However, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has shared that, although the trend is a nice gesture, it is leaving those who join in vulnerable to hackers.

‘Watch out, scammers or hackers who surf through social media sites will see these #ClassOf2020 posts, and will now have the name of your high school and graduation year, which are common online security questions,’ the BBB shared in a press release.

The Better Business Bureau is urging anyone who has shared the hashtag #ClassOf2020 along with the nostalgic photo to change the security questions on their online accounts

‘All it takes is an internet search to reveal more information about you, such as family members, your real name, birthdate or even where you live.’

The group warns that most of the viral trends can leave users vulnerable to hackers including those that ask to share person details about yourself such as ‘Top four favorite things’ or ‘Random facts about you.’

‘What most people forget is that some of these ‘favorite things’ are commonly used passwords or security questions,’ BBB wrote.

‘If your social media privacy settings aren’t high, you could be giving valuable information away for anyone to use.’

Students around the US have been forced to leave the classroom and finish the year off at home, as countless schools have closed across the nation due to the coronavirus pandemic – and it is the senior class that is losing out. 

The coronavirus began in Wuhan, China in December and quickly made its way to nearly every country around the globe – however, the US has been hit the hardest

The coronavirus began in Wuhan, China in December and quickly made its way to nearly every country around the globe -however, the US has been hit the hardest.

The outbreak has forced business to close their doors, leaving millions without a job.

It has also forced schools to shut down and students are now learning online, leaving the seniors without the memory of walking across a stage to accept their high school diploma.

As of Friday there have been more than 677,800 cases and over 34,800 deaths reported in the US.