Guarding Against The Threat Of Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are highly popular for getting connected with friends. People of all ages, across the globe, are joining these sites. For example, Facebook alone has over 500 million users.

Users use these sites to express their thoughts and feelings; and share photos and updates with their family and friends. They can also look for new friends with similar interests on these sites.

The openness of the Internet, however can allow cyber attackers to use these sites to collect personal information of users. They also steal user’s accounts and send mass mails to contacts of these stolen accounts. These mails distribute viruses or lure users to fake login pages where they gather userid and passwords. Many users do not hesitate to click on the links or attachments as they believe these messages come from trusted friends.

Here are a few tips and guidelines on protecting you and your loved ones from becoming a victim of social networking site threats :

1. Restrict access to your social networking profile Would you want your information posted on social networking sites to be freely accessible to everyone on the Internet? Reports have shown that 42% of users do not restrict access to their information. Social networking sites typically have settings that allow you to control who can see what you have posted. You may wish to choose the settings best suited to your preferences.   2. Keep your personal information private You should be cautious of what you post on your social networking profile. You should not reveal sensitive personal information such as your NRIC, address, contact numbers as these information could be misused. For example, posting that you will be on holiday for two weeks may indicate that your house will be empty and invite thieves. Reports have found that 52% of social network users post too much personal information online.   3. Use a strong password You should choose a password that does not contain information related to you like your date of birth or child’s name. Such information could have been published on your social networking page, and gathered by cyber attackers. Choose different passwords for different accounts, especially your online banking account, and change your password regularly.   4. Do not click on website links sent to you via email Email containing website links may have been sent from your friend’s stolen account and may bring you to a fake website which looks like the actual site – also known as a ‘phishing site’. You should manually type the website address and verify the site is authentic before entering your userID and password.   5. Downloading software You should not download or install any software from unknown sources. Malicious software, otherwise known as ‘malware’ could be installed together with the programs you have downloaded – these could infect your computer, and gather or send out information without your knowledge. You should install a reputable software security suite (firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware) and ensure it is updated regularly. Remember, UOB will never request customers to provide, update or verify account information via email.