Social Butterflies are risking their online security – Trend Micro

Internet Security is as big an issue today as it was several years ago – we are getting smarter, but so are the crooks – and with Social Media dominating many people’s lives there is a whole new risk to your online profile.

The problem with being social is that you might also be  a bit too trusting of others. Security company Trend Micro did some research just this month, surveying over 1,000 Aussies to look at just what sort of risks we were putting ourselves close to.

60% of those surveyed had fallen victim to an online threat – despite 66% of them believing they were unlikely to do so!

But it’s the social media risks that got my attention.  15% of people had clicked a link that caused content to be posted on their Facebook wall without their permission.  10% felt  their social network had been hacked.

Hacking is a strong word – it’s more likely they got one of those Twitter direct messages saying “look at these photos of you” and clicked the link – then, believing it was actually twitter – entered their password, thus handing it over to the crooks.  It’s a simple trick that many many people fall for.

If that’s you – please, don’t do it again.  If it’s not been you yet, wait your turn, it will come.  And the tip is never to enter your twitter or Facebook password on a website other than – Twitter and Facebook:).

Trend Micro also have some other advice:

• Don’t go online shopping or banking in places with unsecure networks or via public hot spots. Doing this opens the door to cybercrims to hijacking your shopping session or drop malicious files onto your device
• Bookmark your favourite sites rather than relying on search engines. Cybercriminals often count on misspelled links to lead victims to spoofed sites.
• Never click on suspicious links , no matter how promising their accompanying messages seem
• Avoid over sharing personal information online. Be sure to delete any unnecessary content that you may have posted on a whim.
• Ensure your software security is up-to-date: Trend Micro’s is among many companies offering security software to protect your devices from things such as viruses, spyware and spam.  This software is available across your desktop and mobile devices.

Keep safe folks!

If you have a question about online security or anti-virus software, get in touch – email Trevor Long for Your Tech Life or call 1800 157 157 to speak with Trevor on the show soon.