Social Media security - What to do to protect your account

With all of the talk about Twitter’s melt-down and wave of account suspensions, social networkers are worried about viruses and phishing scams more than ever. In fact, according to Fortinet, a firewall systems provider, June 2009 had the “highest rate of phishing attacks to date” on the Web. So, what should you avoid and how can you secure your account? Learn more.

“Phishing” is when a fraudulent operation poses as a legitimate Website or service in order to steal your personal information. They can appear to be a legitimate Website or even a partner with your social network (Facebook quizzes for example), but you need to be aware before offering your password to any sites. Use the following tips to stay safe in the world of Web 2.0.


Security Tips for Twitter:

• Just because you get a Direct Message (or DM) saying “Check out this cool website” doesn’t mean you should. Twitter recently alerted its users that they had uncovered a phishing scam, where a link to a fake Twitter login page was sent through the direct message feature. The purpose of the scam was to steal user login and passwords.
  
  
• Be wary of sites outside of Twitter that ask for your Twitter username and password. Although we all want to know our Twitter “rank” or might want to take a Twitter quiz, recently many people have had their accounts compromised by these sites.
  

Security Tips for Facebook:

• Be aware of generic posts or messages similar to this: “Hey, did you read what this blog says about you? I think you should read it.” Or, “I saw your profile picture on this website, you look great! Check it out.” Each of these sample messages also included a link with a virus. Don’t click!
  
  
• Remember that third-party applications and quizzes are just that, third party. Most were not created by Facebook. Always read the fine print before adding them to your page or profile.
  

General Security Tips:

• Use a different password for each site you use. This will save you a lot of trouble if one of your accounts is compromised.
  
  
• When a link takes you to sign-in on a familiar site, always look at the URL to make sure that the site is legitimate and not a phishing clone. Phishers count on us not to double check links from our trusted friends, sources and sites.