Security news30 January 2009
Sophos podcast explores the rise of cybercrime on Facebook and Twitter Graham Cluley explains how hackers are exploiting social networks
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.
Free virus scan
- Free virus, spyware, and adware scan
- Test your existing anti-virus protection
- Find threats your anti-virus missed
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.
