Hackers are Everywhere

Unfortunately, nothing on the Internet is immune from unscrupulous hackers, including Facebook.

I received an innocent looking message in Facebook chat from Denise Wakeman (@DeniseWakeman on Twitter). The message raised my suspicion since I don’t know Denise very well, but I saw a Facebook status update in the news feed from her saying ”I’m stuck in London” so I said hello. After a bit of small talk, the person said “I was mugged at gun point and could you help me?” Help was them asking for me to wire them some money so they could get home.

This scam was written up in Techcrunch in January and is still being used to con people into wiring money.

Protecting Your Identity

This post is a reminder to all of us on how to be smart about our use of social media, what types of personal information we share on social media sites and with whom and how to protect yourself as best possible. Keep in mind that the information you provide in these sites is valuable as phishers will try to harvest this information in order to steal your identity.

Here are my recommendations for protecting your Facebook account. What you do is your choice, but be cautious about what applications you allow access to your account.

• Create a profile on Facebook even if you don’t plan to use it. Acquiring your profile on most of the popular social media sites will protect your online identity and ensure someone doesn’t try to impersonate you online.
• Make your password difficult to guess. Don’t use the same password on Facebook that you use on other sites and don’t share your passwords. Create and encrypted and password protected file of your accounts and passwords so that you can remember them but keep them secure.
• Only install business applications from reputable companies – i.e. Twitter, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Upcoming, etc. I personally don’t install any games, pokes or other applications that are not business related. If you want to use any of the “fun” applications, do some research before you install. Read the reviews, search for scams and check it out like you would any application you would install on your system.
• Don’t randomly click on links that appear on your wall (or in Twitter tweets either).  Just as you would be cautious in email, check out the source before you click. If the URL is shortened with a short URL service (like TinyURL), use caution. Some hacker may have hijacked a friend’s account and be masquerading as them.
• Don’t share 25 random facts about yourself that reveals anything that could be used to steal your identity, such as your birthdate year, your mother’s maiden name or anything you would use as a personal question to validate your identity online.
• Watch out for sites that imitate Facebook. Look for those telltale signs that you are not where you think you are – hover over all links to see what is really behind the anchor tags. Don’t enter your password unless you’re sure you’re entering it on the real Facebook site.

Protecting your identity and accounts on the Internet is something you need to take responsibility for. Even the most cautious and knowledgeable person can get hacked. Just be aware of what you need to do and take control before the hackers take control of you.

The following articles offer some additional information to ensure you keep your identity and social media accounts safe:

• Facebook Security Fan Page
• 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know
• Twitter Security Do’s and Don’ts

If you do have your Facebook or Twitter account hacked or hijacked, contact the companies immediately for assistance. For Facebook, go to the Facebook help center and select “security” from the list of help topics. For Twitter, follow the instructions found on the Twitter Help Resources page.

What tips do you have for keeping your social media accounts safe?