Friday, February 18, 2011

Stay safe on Social networking sites


Social networking sites have become very popular avenues for people to communicate with family, friends and colleagues from around the corner or across the globe. While there can be benefits from the collaborative, distributed approaches promoted by responsible use of social networking sites, there are information security and privacy concerns. The volume and accessibility of personal information available on social networking sites have attracted malicious people who seek to exploit this information. 

Security and privacy related to social networking sites are fundamentally not technology, but behavioural issues. The more information a person posts, the more information becomes available for a potential compromise by those with malicious intentions.Below are some helpful tips regarding security and privacy while using social networking sites:
  • Think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Some sites allow only a defined community of users to access posted content; others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.
  • Ensure that any computer you use to connect to a social networking site has proper security measures in place. Use anti-virus software and keep your web browser and operating system up-to-date. Install software updates so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or vulnerabilities. Many operating systems offer automatic updates. If this option is available, you should enable it.
  • Use caution when clicking a link to another page or running an online application, even if it is from someone you know. Many applications embedded within social networking sites require you to share your information when you use them. Attackers use these sites to distribute their malware.
  • Use strong and unique passwords. Make sure that your password is long, complex and combines, letters, numerals, and symbols.  Using the same password on all accounts increases the vulnerability of these accounts if one becomes compromised. Ideally, you should use a different password for every online account you have.
  • Be careful who you add as a "friend," or what groups or pages you join. The more "friends" you have or groups/ pages you join, the more people who have access to your information.
  • Do not assume privacy on a social networking site. For both business and personal use, confidential information should not be shared. Do not post information that would make you vulnerable, such as your address or information about your schedule or routine. You should only post information you are comfortable disclosing to a complete stranger.
  • Be wary of publishing any identifying information about yourself. In particular things like: phone numbers, pictures of your home, workplace or school, your address, birthday or full name.
  • Pick a user name that doesn’t include any personal information. For example, “senthil_saidapet” or “priya_madivala would be bad choices.
  • Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered or broadcast in ways you may not be happy about.
  • Be wary if a new friend wants to meet you in person. If you decide to meet them, meet in a public place, during the day, with friends you trust. And tell a responsible adult where you're going.
  • Set up a separate email account that doesn’t use your real name and use that to register and receive mail from the site. That way if you want to shut down your connection, you can simply stop using that mail account.
  • Use discretion before posting information or commenting about anything. Once information is posted online, it can potentially be viewed by anyone and may not be retracted afterwards. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers.
  • Configure privacy settings to allow only those people you trust to have access to the information you post. Also, restrict the ability for others to post information to your page. The default settings for some sites may allow anyone to see your information or post information to your page; these settings should be changed.

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