If we are talking about Social Network, as I mentioned in previous entries that you guys share information of yours online and connect with friends on your virtual community. But who knows… that your friends online is trusty. Are they your friends in reality? I am sure that they are not. That is why security issue is concerned in Social Network.
Online Social Networking (OSN) has a huge impact for our behaviour at present. We use OSN to connect with each other, share information with friends who have the same interests. Doing those things online make people are able to search other people’s profiles. Even if we do not know each other, we are able to know their face via the photos of them that have been put online.
OSN provides us a lot of benefits for many purposes such as Marketing and Collaboration. However, OSN can be attacked by the person that is hostile on us and can cause the criminal. Since people are able to search other profiles and see other faces as I mentioned. So they know who is their target for attack. The more OSN popular, the easier ways to attack since half of OSN access via mobile phone. It is easy to spread out the attack to others.
OSN Security Threats/Attacks
- Malware distribution
Someone send me this!!!
Malware can be distributed if the infected computer connect to bot and serve the ads for fake antivirus to user. Some of applications on ONS such as the third-party Facebook application may contain malware.
- Cyber harassment and stalking
This is a kind of bulling. OSN is used as a tool to harass people online. A lot of example, especially in the US, show that people always harass others. So the result would be the worst things in the world. The video below is the video that Amanda Todd taken before her did suiside because online harassment.
- Information “shelf life” in cyberspace
All information that we put online is like a timeline for us which is difficult to delete.
Facebook shows timeline so that everyone can go back and see what you did in the past.
- Privacy issues
All the thing that is posted shows who you are and what you do. For example, if we check in on vacation, others know that we are not in the house. It is like we tell the thief to come to our house. Another case is you post something against the policy of your organization, it can result you to be fired. The recent news from last month, there is a YouTube video showing that Manager of a famous cinema in Thailand shouting at a customer who complained went viral.
For further detail here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/345739/movie-manager-filmed-abusing-moviegoer-resigns-after-video-goes-viral
How to defense with all attack?
To protect yourself from all attack, you need to use your common sense. You just….
- Change your OSN password more often, use unique and strong ones.
- Provide minimal personal information to a stranger.
- Set maximum privacy to your OSN
- Authorize all posted materials
- Prevent URL Shorteners.
What is URL Shorteners?
URL Shorteners hides the true destination URL. So it is hard to tell where you go behind the link. For examplehttp://www.evil.com/badsite?%20infect-your-pc.html
is now http://bit.ly/aaI9KV (much shorter!!!)
- Use browser security tools for protection.
- Finally, Think before you click!
Prin Sayn 
After reading this, I’ve changed my password right away!!!
Absolutely, all the easy thing you need to do is change your password more often 🙂
Is your social network is secure enough?
My answer is no. So, I always change my password every 2 months.
555+
Not only changing your password often, but also following other instructions. I would help you to have a better security!
Social Networking is a thing that makes us convenient. For instance, if user wants to find, talk or follow their friends, they just use social network. It is very easy to use that.
However, when you play a social network, don’t forget about your privacy !!!.
It is more important. I will share some privacy issue which users usually ignore that.
Facebook provides “Facebook API” for developer to make their websites. It makes their websites send some user data to Facebook.
For example, if user logged in with their Facebook account and open website “A” which have “Facebook Like box”, Facebook will know that user open website “A” right now because website “A” will send their cookies to Facebook and check that “you press a like button on this fan page yet.” Website A will exchange some user data with Facebook.
It is a simple thing which some users usually ignore that.
I strongly agree with Mr. Prin said “Think before you click!”
It will be safe. 🙂
I suggest that before Facebook get your information from any site, you need to give them a permission to get your data. As I have mentioned in previous entry that Facebook provides a Login dialog for you asking for permission to access your information. Just read it carefully!! So that you can prevent from any unsecure things on OSN 🙂 Thank you for sharing your knowledge, mate!
If you want to know about Facebook login, just go to this link https://prinsayn.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/the-facebooks-core-concepts-facebook-login/ . It is my previous entry I mentioned.
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Haha .. it’s been a while since I hide everything on my facebook. This world is too scary.
I don’t wanna expose myself to the world just yet. And yeah. Secured password is needed for every application. Not only facebook.
Make sure that you follow all of my suggestion so that you can be more secure online 🙂