Is Facebook Dangerous! It Might Be!

Posted Jul 6, 2009. Leave a comment?

The headline is not meant to scare you away from sites like Facebook or MySpace. I just want to make you aware of the dangers out there and what to watch out for as you make posts on your favorite social networking site. It can be fun if you just take a few precautions when posting about how you just got a new job or how you are going on that date with the girl you have been crushing on.

Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and many others are no more dangerous than email, chatting or downloading music from peer to peer sites. You still need to be aware of the dangers because hackers are just waiting for you to click on their nasty set of tricks!

Facebook Worms

One thing these worms have in common is that do not tell the truth. They compromise your privacy and the privacy of your Facebook friends. I am not saying to stop Facebooking just be careful!

Koobface Virus – It makes you think you are going to watch a funny video or a funny photo of a friend.
Profileye Worm- It tells you people are looking at your profile which makes you curious as to who it could be.
Error Check Worm- It tells you that some of your friends are having trouble viewing your page.
Facebook Shuts You Down- Instructs you that Facebook has just shut down your page because you did something wrong.

It’s Just Not Facebook!

Facebook is not the only one in the news with worms, but there not the only social networking site that’s being targeted, or can be targeted. All of them are vulnerable, just as are other forms of online media.

Protect Yourself
Here are some simple things you can do to protect yourself from online problems:
• Use antivirus and adware software—This will only protect you against certain things. It won’t protect you against many of the worms that are application based, but it will protect you against some of them (and many other things).
• Only Update From a Software Site—If you go to view a video on Facebook and you’re told to update your software, think twice. Don’t update it from there. If you think you may really need to update your software, go to the website of the software itself and update it.
• Don’t Click Strange Links—If you get a message saying something like “Facebook has a message for you, click here”, don’t click there. If Facebook has something to tell you, they would have emailed it to you. If you have a question about a message you received, email them.
• Ask First—If you’re not sure if your friend sent you something, maybe it looks suspicious, ask them. Just send them an email asking them if they sent it before clicking on anything.

Don’t Be Scared

Facebook is just as safe, if not safer than your standard email client. Facebook is safer then downloading music or videos from a peer to peer website. Safer then browsing some personal sites.
These are not the kinds of worms or virus’ that shut down your computer or anything like that. These just send out messages to your friends using your own friend list, or something similar.

Social networking has, in some ways, replaced email. In some ways it’s better; less spam, more people get the message. As long as you’re careful, social networking can be a great way to make friends and network.