LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter Users Beware

Social networkers have more reason to be careful than ever.

CONNECTIONS
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
Thu, January 08, 2009CSO When reports surfaced this week about attacks on Twitter and LinkedIn, I took notice. I use these social networking programs extensively, along with Facebook.

Looking at the specific nature of the attacks, this seems like more than FUD. It is something to be taken seriously, given the deep penetration of these sites in the business world. But don't be spooked by headlines suggesting this threat is something new. It has existed since the day these programs went live.

Social networking is increasingly part of our daily lives. For some, it's as natural as breathing. People post status updates to their Facebook pages from their mobile phones (my dopey but lovable cousin likes to do this while driving to work at rush hour). The line between real business and personal business is mushy and deteriorating. This makes it a tempting target for those who would exploit security holes in the technology. That's especially true when it comes to social engineering attacks—where the bad guy sends out what appears to be legitimate messages from legitimate contacts, duping people into opening messages and URLs that are laced with malicious code.

My use of these programs shows how the line between the personal and professional has blurred.

I use LinkedIn exclusively for business. I use it to build my base of contacts in the security world and it has become an online Rolodex of sorts. When I'm looking for people to interview for something I'm writing or I want to assign guest columns, I reach out to people on LinkedIn. From there, I set up phone interviews or go back and forth by e-mail for those who are more strapped for time. It has become what the old-fashioned phonebook and Rolodex were to me 15 years ago, when my journalism career began.

I use Twitter to make quick contact with my security sources and to ask general questions of those in my network. But it often becomes a place where we just chat about everyday life, TV shows and the weather. The casual nature of it makes Twitter a particularly easy target, as we saw with the recent Twitter incidents.

Then there's Facebook, the grayest program of all for me. Most of my security contacts are on there and I often use it to get a business-related message out. I also use it to display all the content I create for CSOonline, as do many of my colleagues and industry associates.

Loading...
Security MarketSpace
White Papers
5 Tips for Data Loss Prevention Solutions
RSA® The Security Division of EMC has identified 5 key considerations to help organizations simplify the evaluation process for selecting a DLP solution that is right for their business. Learn more »
Secure Training Videos to Prevent Theft
Learn how Dream Force extended their marketing reach without being constricted. Learn more »
Prevent Intellectual Property Theft
Learn what the key components were in Hock International's purchasing decision. Learn more »
Webcasts
Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure
Reduced IT budgets have CIOs hunting for ways to maximize their PC infrastructure, while saving money and IT staff time. Diane Bryant, CIO of Intel Corp., talks with CIO magazine's Gary Beach about how her organization is addressing these challenges. Learn more »
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

Data Loss Prevention: A Better Way to Approach Security

Software Executives: Take Control of Your Organization's Code Quality

Delivering Secure and Reliable Data through Spreadsheet Automation

Taking the Service Desk to the Next Level

Why Data Loss is Increasing--and What You Can Do About It

Communications and Collaboration Needs at Business Organizations

Using Open Source to Deploy Web Applications

Mid-Sized Company CIO Community: infoBOOM!

Enterprise PBX Comparison Guide

Getting Value from Outdated Networking Equipment

Accenture IT Consulting: Logical meets technological. More . . .

White Paper: 8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Read about virtualization and consolidation effort best practices

Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Infrastructure

Top 10 Business and IT Drivers for the Wealth Management Sector

Bottom-Line Benefits of Virtualization

White Paper: The Building Blocks for Cloud Computing

Oracle's Application Grid Technical Demo

Next-Generation Application Servers and Infrastructure

Application Infrastructure at Enterprise Organizations

Achieving Business Agility with Application Grid

Learn about The Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

Achieving Pervasive Performance Management

Gartner Shares Predictions for 2009

64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.

Stop Application Fraud at the Source with Device Reputation

Ready to Act: 3 Recommendations for Agile Processes

Automating the Generation and Secure Distribution of Excel Reports

Seven Ways ITIL Can Help You in an Economic Downturn

Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure

Learn how to managing client systems in the enterprise.

Cloud Computing: Read about VMware's compelling vision & set of products

Enterprise PBX Buyer's Guide

Secondary Market Primer: Your Network at Half Price

Top-line Performance that's Bottom-line Efficient

Accenture: Outsourcing for uncertain times. Click to learn more.

Learn about the VMware vSphere (TM) & Intel (R) Xeon (R) Processor 5500 Series

Learn how a virtualized enterprise can help your company reduce costs

Why Isn't Server Virtualization Saving Us More?

8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Data Center Optimization: Three Key Strategies

A CIO Executive Guide: Cloud Computing Looms Big on the Horizon

Oracle WebLogic Server Technical Demo

Data Grids and Service-Oriented Architecture

Achieving the Impossible: Unlimited Application Scalability

A Middleware Foundation for Application Grid

Tips for successful virtualization management.

Smart Decisions: The Role of Key Performance Indicators

Reduce risk, gain agility. See how Progress can help your business.

Improve ROI, lower TCO and reduce energy consumption.

 
 
RESOURCE CENTER