September 28, 2007 12:23 PM PDT
Security Bites Podcast: Too much information
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CNET's Robert Vamosi talks with Tod Beardsley, lead counter-fraud engineer for TippingPoint, about the dangers of social networking.
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CNET's Robert Vamosi spoke this week by phone with Tod Beardsley, lead counter-fraud engineer for TippingPoint, a provider of network-based intrusion prevention systems, about the potential dangers when using social networks. While they present a wonderful opportunity to meet people with similar interests, sites like Myspace.com, Facebook and even LinkedIn can cause trouble.
First, that you must publish so much about your personal life--and that most people do publish their personal details on these sites--opens you to identity fraud and possible theft. Where cyberthieves like Kevin Mitnick used to take months to gather information about their targets, now, through social networks, social-engineering thieves can find all they need on a Facebook page. When you write in your resume or post online exactly what it is you do at work, what projects you're working on, who you report to, you may in fact be violating your HR department's non-disclosure agreement. This is especially problematic in the tech industry and in government jobs.
Second, social networks can expose us to new malicious software. Where malicious software writers once targeted corporate e-mail systems to spread the Melissa and ILoveYou viruses, they're now turning to social networks. If you have a browser zero-day, you know that as soon as you can get it onto MySpace, you will get millions of people to follow it.
That said, are social networks bad? No. But, as with any new technology, we should be aware of the possible downsides, then use that technology responsibly going forward.
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