The short answer to the question above is "yes". The fundamental nature of most people is to be kind, helpful and trusting. Con-artists depend upon it and if you are unsuspecting you are an easier mark. We do live in an asymmetric threat environment and there are many people who want to take advantage of you. The reality of being the object of criminal activity can come from anywhere and rudely shock your existence.
Do you know how to adjust the privacy settings on your computer at the highest possible level when using your social media application of choice? You should. You, otherwise, may be endangering your life as well as your identity or your job. Even if you have chosen to use the most robust security settings available on your program, controlling that which is left on a confidential friend's computer screen is beyond your scope of influence.
A casual acquaintance can snap your digital photograph at a party and post it on the Internet along with colorful comments. Some social media sites are reportedly implementing facial recognition software as part of the software's capability. That should be cause for concern for everyone who is concerned about personal and computer security.
Be aware that once you enter into the totally immersed digital world you are raising your profile. Avoid giving the bad guys information on you that can be blended with other information to launch an attack against you.
There are numerous examples of how social media is used in a dangerous manner. Police officers recently made a DUI traffic stop and found a CD that contained more than thirty (30) Facebook personal profiles. With this in mind you may want to consider deleting any confidential or personal information about yourself. The problem is that once it is "out there" you aren't going to be able to recall it.
A determined identity thief can easily target you and get the information that he or she needs to steal your confidential information from social media. Avoid sharing, for example, information about yourself in multi-user electronic games as well. Many social media sites share the information you create along with the person with whom you have confided.
You might want to educate everyone in your family about sharing confidential information regarding you or any member of your family. A determined identity thief can adjust his or her threat vector to make it more successful with even the smallest amount of information. Avoid, for example, posting your date of birth on social media. Sharing your email address, place of work, whereabouts and other personally identifiable information should be avoided as well as accepting requests to befriend people you don't know. Read what each social media software application advises.
Among the first places that an identity thief goes to harvest information are the social media sites. They represent a large number of trusting and potential victims.
Facebook, to their credit, publishes "best practices" on how to use the application but maintaining a safe presence within social media takes a great amount of effort. Real trouble can be encountered if you are casual about maintaining confidential personal information.
© Alliant Digital Services, 2011
Dr. Perry is the owner of Alliant Digital Services, publishers of the Computer Security Glossary.
Learn more about computer security by downloading Dr. William Perry's FREE ebook, "How to Secure Your Computer" at http://www.computer-security-glossary.org/ and click on the "FREE eBook" link.
Dr. Perry is an information security specialist with significant experience as a university professor, author and service provider to various federal agencies.
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