IT Services News No. 143 Jan-Feb 2010
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IT Services News No. 143 Jan-Feb 2010 |
Be Aware of Security Threats in Social Networking Sites
1. Introduction
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn are now widely used by people to share information and photos with friends. At the same time, they have become targets for hackers to steal information and spread computer viruses.
2. Security Threats
According to a survey carried out in December 2009 by Sophos Plc., a network security software company, more than 50% of respondents surveyed said they had received spam via social networking sites, and over 30% of respondents said they had received computer viruses. A computer virus called Koobface (“koob” is reverse of “book”) is an example of computer viruses targeted for social networking sites. For more information, refer to our article entitled “Beware of Computer Viruses Spreading via Social Networking Sites” in IT Services News No. 136.
In addition, the information you post on a social networking site may be viewed by your friends, relatives, future employers, or even strangers. Some employers may run an Internet search of job applicants to get more information about their background. It is always worthwhile to think about what should be published in your profile and adjust the privacy settings accordingly. Remember that once information and photos are posted online, even if they are deleted or modified later on, the original information or photos may never be completely deleted from the site or the web, as the information or photos concerned would be kept by various search engine sites or electronic archives.3. Safety Tips
To protect yourself in social networking sites, it is important to keep in mind the following safety tips:
- Avoid displaying your personal or family information, financial information and personal photographs.
- Think about how a site works before deciding to join. Before joining, please consider whether you would really use it or whether the site is built with adequate privacy protection and control.
- Use the site’s privacy settings to control the access of your profile by others, and only share your profile information with trusted parties.
- It is highly recommended to disable all options available initially, and then select the options one by one that are considered to be acceptable.
- Think carefully before sharing your information and photos. Information and photos can be downloaded or forwarded from friends to friends without your consent.
- Read and check the privacy policies of the sites. The usage policies could allow the site to use your personal information for other purposes without your consent.
- Beware of strangers who ask for your information or invite you to be their "friends".
- You may come into contact with strangers misrepresenting themselves. If a stranger asks you out for a drink or meal, be cautious about the stranger may try to take advantage of you.
- If you feel threatened during an online conversation, stop the conversation immediately. Report any offensive behavior to the social networking site administrator, or even the police.
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