Ok…I seem to be getting a lot of SPAM on this blog, so I had to restrict access to posts. I have to approve all comments. Idiots with too much time on their hands have to mess everything up on the web.
So after only a little time using Facebook, it is evident that it is good for keeping in touch with family and friends, but not for everything. I am bombarded with requests for various apps (quizzes, opinion polls, and miscellaneous BS) everyday. Unfortunately, most of these are out for one thing, get as much information about me as possible.
Everyone should be afraid when surfing the Internet. Afraid the same way you would be if you found yourself in a foreign land where you didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak the language, and couldn’t tell if the people around you were friend or foe.
Think about all the personal information stored on your computer. Would you give someone you don’t know free access to your personal files? Then you should use extreme caution when surfing the Net. We all know about malicious software (aka the computer virus). But there are new malicious ways the bad guys are getting your information. Everytime you visit a website you leave behind information. On their server and your computer. Malicious websites and web applications are the new frontier (since the turn of the century.) I hear people say, “oh, I don’t open that email if I don’t know who sent it…” or “I have antivirus software, I’m not worried…” Well, you should be worried…very worried.
I have the latest A/V software, firewalls, and patches on all my systems. Unfortunately, with kids, you can only do so much. My daughter found Facebook and loves it. She is consistently sending me little requests, smiles, pokes, etc. However, my background makes me suspicious, so I can’t always except. I recently took a class on Reverse Engineer Malware from SANS (sans.org) and once again I learned a lot of good (scary) information. Well, this past weekend we found some adware on her computer. She had the latest A/V software installed with patches, but she still got caught. She thought she was authorizing a Facebook application, but unwittingly installed adware from a malicious site. The site looked like a valid A/V software, but was looking for her to put in credit card information to “activate” the on-line scan of her computer. I haven’t looked into the site to see if it is in fact trying to capture credit card info, but it sure seemed phishy enough.
When the hairs on the back of your neck stand-up, or you get that feeling in your gut that something just isn’t quite right, heed the warning and head for dodge. Back out, get out, log off, do whatever it takes, but don’t click OK unless you are absolutely certain you are aware of what is happening on your computer. If you come across something that is suspicious, and you want to find out if it is safe before diving it, send me a note and I’ll check it out for you.
Stay safe and happy computing!