Come 2008, Watch Out When Socializing Online
An article at BBC World brings to focus one critical point regarding security online – more personal content online means more attention from malware authors.
Social engineering is one of the well crafted techniques used to forage data on users to be used to crack their accounts and sensitive data repositories. It refers to techniques that are performed offline (a phone call perhaps) to elicit data on individuals that may be used later.
With the rise of social networking and millions signing up on to these new hives of activity, it is the identity of individuals that is making an digital shift. At the same time, for the determined cracker, social sites represent the single vital repository to harness information on individuals. Information that makes for targeted and effective spamming.
Though we are all well aware of the tenets of using random alphanumeric passwords, how many of us actually implement that in true spirit? It is a fact that data such as date of birth, pet’s name or graduation day are different nuggets of data that make for memorable passwords and are also up for grab on social sites.
Already there were several attacks targeted at users spreading via messaging systems in social sites or malicious links spreading via contact lists. Considering the fact that Web development is more focussed on getting in newer features than fixing all the bugs in the existing features, its better to be circumspect when it comes to putting data online.
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Arun on January 11, 2008
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Hi Arun – thanks for the info. It seems that whenever something becomes popular on the Internet, the criminals target it. First, we were hearing about the paedophiles on social networking sites and now it looks like the thieves are joining in too.
Hi Catherine,
Its a fact that information in any form can be used for good and malicious motives. It needs to be kept in mind that anonymity does have its benefits.