Think Before You Click!

Social networking on such Web sites as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or any number of others has grown into a hugely popular online community activity created for the simple purpose of helping people keep in touch.

With that growth, however, has come a dark side to social networking—cybercriminals and scammers seeking to exploit the information that people provide.

“It’s very easy to download spyware or viruses if you click on the wrong link or download,” warns David Gewirtz, a cyberterrorism advisor to the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals and author of a recent report, The Dark Side of Social Networking. “Once one of these programs runs on your computer, it can do anything—capture credit card numbers, bank accounts, keystroke access—it runs the gamut right down to launching bots that attack other computers.”

Then there is the issue of personal security. “Most of us have somebody we’d rather avoid,” Gewirtz says. “Whether it’s someone you simply don’t want to talk to, an ex-girlfriend who’s stalking you, someone who really means you harm—the last thing you want to do is help them find you.” Yet, people regularly use Twitter or Facebook to provide a moment-by-moment account of their activities. “There are a lot of crazies out there,” Gewirtz warns. “You don’t want to give them a roadmap of where you are going to be and how to get to you.”

The security and safety dangers of social networking are exuberant. According to several reliable reports, it has been discovered without a doubt that unwanted and dangerous software programs are spreading through social networking sites. The dangers of social networking sites are so severe and serious that some people are literally making the decision to stay off them due to the dangers involved. Facebook can be said to have become Facebot and the facebook dangers are huge.It must be emphasized that the numerous dangers involved are both social and technical. Social networking sites are becoming the new way of targeting people online and gaining their personal information for their own selfish intentions. It is crucial that every person who belongs to a social networking site understands the dangers and risks involved.

Here are only some of the many dangers of social networking sites:

URL spoofing-URL spoofing involves one website posing as another website for malicious reasons. Eg: People create fake Facebook pages.

Phishing-Phishing refers to high tech scams using fake websites with actual brands created in order to steal valuable personal information.

Botnet attacks-Botnet attacks are very serious. A botnet creator is able to control an army of infected computers secretly via a means eg: Facebook.

Identity theft-Identity theft is literally a way of stealing someone else's identity and using it for a variety of purposes including financial.

Storm worm attacks-A storm worm attack can be used to trick people by providing fake information about the FBI and Facebook.

Child identity theft-Child identity theft is literally stealing the identity of a child and using it for your own personal gains.

Trojans-Trojans plant themselves on the user's computer, and the moment you log onto a social networking site, it sends automatic invitations to everybody on the users contact list.

Cyberstalking-Cyberstalking is literally harassing and following another person online. Social networking sites open up many doors for cyber stalking

Social networking also carries risks when it comes to an individual’s professional life, as well as the company he or she works for. When communicating information online, says Gewirtz, don’t post anything that could potentially damage your employability: confidential information, company gossip, presenting your employer in a negative light—any of these posts could land you in serious trouble. “With social networking, anyone can become a company spokesperson simply by the things they say online,” Gewirtz says. “A random statement read by the wrong person could be interpreted as company policy. That can come back to haunt the employee, not to mention the corporation.”

Hot on the heels of the news story detailing how Essex office worker Kimberley Swann lost her job because she described it on Facebook as ‘boring’ comes evidence that firms are cracking down on workers who misuse the internet during office hours. ‘Employers are not prepared to tolerate misuse of the internet generally, but especially in the current climate,’ says employment law partner Mark Hatfield. ‘With businesses struggling and redundancies rife every job and every hour counts. Staff who idle away on the internet are wasting valuable time which should be being deployed to maintain company efficiency and productivity. To enforce proper IT use, it is critical staff are told exactly what the company internet policy is so no one is in any doubt about its importance and what the punishments are.’

But problems with your Facebook profile can begin even before you get a job. Apparently,more than 360 British universities search for applicants online, carrying out free background checks on applicants via online searches; checking their social networking sites, reading blogs they have commented on, and looking at pictures they have uploaded onto the web.“These statistics highlight how important it is for people to monitor their online reputation and be aware of what image they are portraying on the net. It is no longer enough for a student to have straight A’s and strong reports, if they party every night of the week and write inappropriate comments on a blog, they could be hindering their future opportunities,’ says Steffen Ruehl, CEO and Co-Founder of yasni.co.uk used by both Oxford and Cambridge to do checks on prospective applicants.

Meanwhile, in the work place it is not just recent grads who are abusing internet access at work; even more senior staff do it. ‘Staff who idle away on the internet are wasting valuable time which should be being deployed to maintain company efficiency and productivity,’ Says Mark Hatfield. In order to stop this happening, Lloyds TSB, Goldman Sachs, and Credit Suisse have all banned the use of Facebook during office hours. Mark Hatfield believes rules covering internet use should be written into all company policy. However, until that happens, here are some rules (courtesy of Jenny Ungless, Monster career coach) every employee should follow to keep out of trouble.

David Gewirtz advises that when it comes to your business and professional life, if you wouldn’t put it in a press release, don’t put it on Twitter or Facebook. Think before you type. Ask yourself: “Is this something that is going to reach out and haunt me in the future?”

“People should not be afraid of online social networking; used correctly, it can be extremely valuable,” Gewirtz says. “These are amazing networking and communications tools. But they are not toys, and you are publishing not just to friends and family. When you post on a social networking site, you’re posting to the world.”

Safety suggestions for Facebook:

• Restrict your Facebook friends.
• Invest in good antivirus software.
• Adjust your privacy settings.
  
• Do not impulsively click on links.
• Be careful what applications you download.
  
• Install a good firewall.
• Make people"limited friends".
  
• Do not simply enter your password.
• Be aware of sites that may randomly appear.
• Do not enter personal information into sites connected to Facebook.
  
• Be smart about what you write online. If you want to write negative comments, make sure they’re justified or within reason, don’t come across as a negative person.
• Be careful what you write about yourself. Don’t draw attention to bad behaviour for all to see.
• Don’t be caught out by pictures posted online. Don’t call in sick the day after your birthday if your friends are likely to post incriminating pictures of you the night before.
• Separate business from pleasure if necessary. Use social sites such as Facebook for friends and add colleagues to professionally-geared sites such as LinkedIn.

THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK. Does the world really need to know what you had for breakfast, who John was dissing round the water cooler yesterday, or who you had a snog with last night? Sometimes discretion really is the better part of valour.

source : pc1news , themhedajournal and realworldmagazine