Go look at someone’s Facebook, MySpace or Twitter page and just count the amount of information you can get about them. Where they live, what they like to do, where they hang out, who they hang out with, their birthday and I’m sure if you looked hard enough at some you could find a mother’s maiden name or two. All that information is gold to cybercriminals looking to step into your life and ruin it from the inside out.
CNN.com spoke to Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDtheftsecurity.com and he said “It’s all about providing the bad guy with intelligence. Back in the day, spy organizations planted someone on the inside to get proprietary data. Social media is the man on the inside. We’re giving away all the intelligence for free.”
One of the most commonly used passwords is someone’s birthday. It’s easy to remember and can contain letters and numbers for that “secure” feeling. Well just look at how many birthdays are posted on people’s social media pages. Even if you don’t give access to strangers, all people need to do is read one of the 17 comments you get on your birthday and know what is going on. Or maybe your password is your spouse’s, pet’s or children’s names? All this information can be found on Web pages.
By now we’ve all received a link in a random post, message or Tweet from a friend who’s account has been hacked and someone is phishing for information. These messages are so viral because for as many people that don’t click on the link, many do and once they do that same message is sent to all of their friends and spreads like wildfire. This happens when an account is hacked and enough information is obtained for a hacker to basically be that person.
The best way to start being more secure is to simply be more mindful of who you allow onto you Friend List. Don’t add people you don’t know and if you get a message that doesn’t feel or sound right, it probably isn’t and you should verify it with the sender before opening or following it. This is easier for adults than it is for kids. The popularity contest that is life makes them want to get the highest number of friends possible and they will add anyone and everyone into their lives. Monitor who they know, it may be a hassle but it could save you time, money and aggravation in the long run.
Just another reminder that we need to be mindful of where we click and what we allow our kids to click on. Accept the fact that people we don’t know (and may not want to) will see our social networking pages and that any information you put up is in fact world wide for anyone to see.
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