Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

Online protection in social networks in 2010

In 2010 the number of Internet users will be bigger than ever.

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and others continue to grow. The Swedish teachers union among others have suggested that, “Social Network Knowledge” could potentially be added as a subject to the national curriculum in the future. The potential security risk associated with social networks is an even more important topic.

Social networks being targeted by hackers was already happening in 2009 and it will certainly grow even more in 2010. 3rd party applications are permitted to run on social network’s platforms. This “openness” also creates a potential opportunities to distribute malware, which has already been illustrated by several Facebook account hackings in 2009.

Other applications present in online networks might be ok but still behave as rogue software. A good example of this are games on social networks that attract a lot of players and then require players to purchase things to be able to progress in the game. Even though this does not force you do anything or destroys your computer, it could still become very addictive for some users.

Social networks’ use as distribution points for malware, spam and other rogue software are all examples of security risks associated with social networks.

All sorts of social networks are likely to be affected by malware and spam in 2010. Instant messaging (IM:ing) can also be seen as a form of social network and has also been increasingly plagued by unsolicited contacts made to existing users. This is called SPIMMING for short.

Malware in social networks can be more than an annoyance, with more and more people posting sensitive information online this data can be harvested, sold or abused.

To summarize the growing use of online social networks will also increase the risk of being infected or at least affected by malware and SPAM. The staff at digital defender recommends all users of social networks never to open emails by unknown sender and to very cautious with which applications you sign up to. Remember to never ever give away your password.

Installing a good antivirus and a good firewall will also help to keep your computer safe. If you have need for more ideas or recommendations about security software please contact us at info@digital-defender.com or go to our website http://www.digital-defender.com to read more.

Stay safe online in 2010

Best Regards,

Kerry Reid

digital defender