Following recent warnings about the security issues surrounding social networking, McAfee has issued some practical advice to reduce the chances of hackers using your personal information for phishing expeditions and identity theft.
If you regularly blog or participate in social networking, do
not disclose too much personal information as it is hard to know who can see this information. or to be sure of the true identity of other users. Be careful about the quantity and type of information that is available about you online, as a cyber criminal could collect information about you from a number of sources.
Be wary of people requesting personal information. Ordinary net users won't
usually ask for user names, passwords, credit card or National Insurance numbers. Never provide personal data online unless you've initiated the contact. Identity thieves may pose as bank agents, phone companies, and even government agencies. Before sharing personal information, confirm that the organisation is legitimate by calling it yourself directly using the number listed on your account statement or in the telephone directory.
Use caution when using Instant Messenger (IM) and be careful
when sending personal information, as IM messages can be intercepted if they are not secured. Protect yourself by using a nickname for your IM screen name, and never accept strangers into your IM groups.
Be selective when sharing your email address. Only family and
friends should have your personal email address and you should not post your it on web sites, forums or in chat rooms. Posting your address online will boost the volume of spam you receive. If you do so, format it so it cannot be harvested by a program, for example as "name -at- hotmail -dot- com" or as a small graphic.
Be cautious when opening email attachments, regardless of who
sent them. These files can contain malicious software, such as viruses, that could capture your passwords or other information you enter on your computer. If you download files, make sure your security software is enabled and updated.
Be wary of people who send files for you to download -
especially in online forums, via IM or on social networking sites. Unless you are certain that you know who has sent you the file and that it is expected, don't download or open it.
Keep your security software up-to-date. Some email messages contain harmful code that can damage your computer, track your internet activities or capture personal information without your knowledge. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software combined with a firewall will protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications to determine whether contain these malicious files, while a firewall protects both the inbound and outbound connections to your computer. A firewall is particularly crucial if you have a broadband or DSL connection that leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24-hours a day.
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