FBI Atlanta warns Georgians of data theft

ATLANTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The FBI in Atlanta is warning you of a new wave of cybercrime targeting your personal information.

According to the FBI, cyber hackers are getting access to your email accounts by stealing "cookies" from your computer.

A cookie is a small piece of data that a website sends to your computer to remember login and password information.

You may recognize "a remember me cookie" from when you shop online or when you log on to a website and it asks you to save your username and password like your email address for future use.

If a cybercriminal obtains the "remember me" cookie from your recent login, they will have access to your data without needing a password and can log in to your email.

Investigators say the best way to stay safe online is to avoid public WIFI because you can easily get hacked and to avoid clicking on any suspicious links or websites as that may download malware to your computer.

"There is a wide swath of people that can be attacked through phishing or malware and you have to be concerned. That malware can pull that cookie and other website browser data off and then it is safe for the criminals to use," said FBI Supervisor Special Agent Joe Zadik.

The FBI says you can protect yourself by clearing your cookies from your internet browser and reduce clicking the "remember me" check box when you log onto a website.