First published on Technorati at http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/social-media-smugging-a-reality
I know we all love to check our Twitter and Facebook daily. Social media has become part of our daily lives. Look how well the Facebook movie did.
Unfortunately with such popularity also comes opportunity for criminals. Last year 60 million social profiles were accessed without permission in the UK alone. And I do not mean your significant other checking up on you. Nearly two profiles are “smugged†per second. Yes I wrote smugged. This crime is referred to as “smugging†and I am sure I do not have to explain why. Let’s see how long that takes to end up on the Urban Dictionary.
As reported by Capital One, people would login to their accounts and find comments posted they never wrote and messages sent to contacts that they never authored. This may not seem like a big deal but we seem to forget how much information lies in our social profiles which can set us up for identity theft.
Michael Woodburn of Capital One warns us, “”In the excitement of connecting with those around us, remembering to protect your online profile can often take a back seat, which can leave people open to smugging, or worse, identity theft,”
There are simple precautions to take if you fear being hacked. Woodburn also tell us, “Small actions like protecting your mobile with a password, using a password that is a combination of numbers and letters and regularly checking bank and credit card statements, can go a long way in helping people protect themselves against a smugging attack and identity theft.”
Also make sure to always log out of social media websites – even at home but especially on public machines and at work.
I’m sure you all know not to use personal information when choosing your password. Try to always use a mixture of letters and numbers. Most sites will tell you your password strength upon choosing one when you sign up.
Most importantly you must limit the amount of personal details you display in your accounts. Like if you post your birthday, leave out the year or direct message important information on Twitter so not everyone can see it.
In this age of ease of use and the ability to remain connected with friends and family at all times, we must be wary of the opportunists who lie in wait to take advantage. Remember that the easier technology makes our lives the easier it can be for criminals to gain access to our information so let’s do our due diligence and not make their job easier. Let’s protect ourselves while we enjoy ourselves.
I think I’ll change this to my Facebook status.
