Members of online social networks may be more vulnerable to financial loss, identity theft and malware infection than they realize, according to a new survey from Webroot.Surveying over 1,100 members of Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter and other popular social networks, Webroot uncovered numerous behaviors that put social networkers' identities and wallets at risk. Among the highlights:
* Two-thirds of respondents don't restrict any details of their personal profile from being
visible through a public search engine like Google;
* Over half aren't sure who can see their profile;
* About one third include at least three pieces of personally identifiable information;
* Over one third use the same password across multiple sites; and
* One quarter accept "friend requests" from strangers
Social Networks Present New Opportunities for Cybercriminals
Cybercriminals employ various types of trickery and malware to capitalize on risky behaviors. One common tactic is phishing, which hackers use to entice victims into downloading an infected file, visiting a disreputable site outside the social network, or wiring money to a "friend in distress."
In recent months, Webroot has seen an increase in these types of attacks on social networks, including "Trojan-MyBlot," which targeted users of MyYearbook.com, and others targeting Facebook users including "Koobface" and several spread through the domains "mygener.im," "ponbon.im" and "hunro.im."
Sophisticated means to execute attacks on social networks: The Webroot survey respondents who reported experiencing identity theft, a hijacked account and unauthorized username or password changes may have been victimized by hackers who were able to access their profiles and guess their passwords based on the personal information they included.
For a summary of the key findings, pls read here.
netizens left a footprint.