IT security and control firm Sophos, today announced that it has
published a new podcast
discussing the social networking phenomenon and how cybercriminals
are using sites such as Facebook and Twitter to spread malware and
spam.
In the podcast, Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant at Sophos, is interviewed by Carole Theriault about
social networks - how they can be used to share information and
connect internet users, but also why cybercriminals are taking
advantage of them.
With social networking websites now more popular than
pornography sites, cybercriminals are turning their attention to
this new medium in order to target a wider group of internet users.
Facebook users continue to post personal information on their
profiles, enabling identity thieves to attempt to crack passwords.
Once hackers have guessed passwords, they can manipulate their
victim's contacts into clicking on links directing them to infected
webpages, stealing more data or for financial gain.
"We're hearing about more cases of spam, malware and phishing
attacks on social networks because users continue to ignore advice
about privacy and sensible password options," said Yogi Parmar,
producer of the Sophos podcasts. "In the podcast, Graham talks
about the recent Twitter attack where hackers
broke into celebrity Twitterers' accounts, including
Barack Obama and Britney Spears, using a dictionary password
guesser. This podcast will hopefully teach Facebookers and
Twitterers how to secure their information online and be more wary
of the messages they receive regardless of the sender."
All Sophos podcasts are available for download at www.sophos.com/podcasts. Previous podcasts have
covered topics such as image spam, phishing, Microsoft Windows
Vista, corporate security policies, network access control, and
rootkits.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.