Social networking sites rely on connections and communication, so they encourage you to provide a certain amount of personal information. When deciding how much information to reveal, people may not exercise the same amount of caution as they would when meeting someone in person. While the majority of people using these sites do not pose a threat, malicious people may be drawn to them because of the accessibility and amount of personal information that's available.
Additionally, because of the popularity of these sites, attackers may use them to distribute malicious code. Sites that offer applications developed by third parties are particularly susceptible. Attackers may be able to create customized applications that appear to be innocent while infecting your computer or sharing your information without your knowledge.
How can you protect yourself?
1. Limit the amount of personal information you post - Do not post information that would make you vulnerable, such as your address or information about your schedule or routine.
2. Remember that the internet is a public resource - Only post information you are comfortable with anyone seeing. This includes information and photos in your profile and in blogs and other forums. Also, once you post information online, you can't retract it.
3. Be wary of strangers - The internet makes it easy for people to misrepresent their identities and motives. Consider limiting the people who are allowed to contact you on these sites.
4. Be skeptical - Don't believe everything you read online. People may post false or misleading information about various topics, including their own identities.
5. Evaluate your settings - Take advantage of a site's privacy settings. The default settings for some sites may allow anyone to see your profile, but you can customize your settings to restrict access to only certain people.
6. Be wary of third-party applications - Third-party applications may provide entertainment or functionality, but use caution when deciding which applications to enable and avoid applications that seem suspicious.
7. Use strong passwords - Protect your account with passwords that cannot easily be guessed. Also, make sure that information given in your profile does not help give away your password, for example; favorite sports team, pets name, etc.
8. Check privacy policies - Some sites may share information such as email addresses or user preferences with other companies. This may lead to an increase in spam.
9. Keep software, particularly your web browser, up to date - Install software updates so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or vulnerabilities.
10. Use and maintain anti-virus software - Anti-virus software helps protect your computer against known viruses, so you may be able to detect and remove the virus before it can do any damage.
**This information is available on the US-CERT website as a National Cyber Alert System Security Tip.
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