How Social Networking Websites Have Become A New Battlegroud for Cybercrime

Originally, social networking websites such as Twitter, Face Book, My Space, and Linked in were considered to be one of the most remarkable technological phenomena of the 21st century and a great tool to allow like-minded people to interact with each other.

However, the European Commission has singled out social networking websites as potentially dangerous. It was recently predicted that social networking websites will soon become the most dangerous places on the Internet, where users are most likely to face cyber attacks and digital annoyances. They will become the main battleground for cybercriminals and identity thieves.

Twitter. a social networking site with 44 million people, has had several attacks. In April 2009 a phishing campaign sent you to a website that stole your user name and password. Staff from Twitter said it was due to a basic vulnerability. Holes like these were found on Face Book and My Space in the past.

On August 6, 2009, Twitter was shut down for hours by cybercriminals. It was described as a Denial of Service Attack, affecting millions of Tweeters. Zombie computers from all over the world had attacked Twitter. It was a complete blackout and was due to SABOTAGE.

A man with a Face Book account was recently hacked. A message was placed on his site stating that he was away from home, had lost his wallet, and requesting money. When he realized that he had been hacked, he contacted Face Book. It took them 5 hours to close his account. During that time, his friends sent $3,000 to the cybercriminal.

Another way that hackers steal your identity is by building fake YouTube Pages with an error message claiming the video you want won't play without your installing new software. When you click on the error message, a virus is put on your computer. Once infected, the hacker then redirects you to a real YouTube page to see the videos you wanted to see - and hides the crime.

Always be on Guard to Protect Yourself on Social Networking Sites and Win the War on Cybercrime. Make sure the URL for the sign up page is correct. If the URL doesn't look right leave the web site and contact the social network. Forward phishing emails to space@uce.gov. If you believe you have been scammed by cybercriminals, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov.

Install a combination of antivirus, antispyware, anti-rootkit, anti-malware and other security technologies along with a bi-directional firewall for superior PC and email protection.

Educate others. Make sure they understand how serious the situation is and how to protect themselves from cybercrime. Tell them they need a managed internet security system with a personal team of techs that takes care of their computer and security problems by phone or remote internet access.
Identity theft, the cybercrime of this century, has become the fastest growing white collar crime in the world and affects us all. It doesn't matter where you live, how much you protect your personal or business information, or how careful you are. Identity theft is an equal opportunity crime with the ability to hurt everyone.