About Net Security: May 13, 2009

Net Security In the Spotlight | More Topics |   from Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter have millions of users each. Admittedly, I have accounts on all three (although I haven't actually visited MySpace or looked at my MySpace page in over a year). They have value in connecting people with like interests and helping find long-lost friends. They have a business value in their ability to target information and to have news, ideas, or offers go viral as they are shared from one person to the next. There is an emerging concern though in that some of the games and quizzes that people play on these sites also reveals personal information that can be used to compromise their accounts or guess their passwords.   In the Spotlight Twitter Name Game Phishing Attack I like Facebook and Twitter. I think they are both valuable tools that can be useful for both business and personal communications. Admittedly though, much of what goes on is a pure waste of time. On Facebook people regularly partake in small quizzes to determine what country they should live in, or which religion best suits them. They also choose top 5 lists of their first 5 cars, or their 5 favorite sports teams...>read more              More Topics The 2% Business Model Filter MAC Addresses on Your Wireless Network Free Packet Sniffing Utilities Book Review: Hacking Exposed- 6th edition Security 101 Free Port Scanning Tools Cybersecurity Act of 2009 Making Spyware Fun This is more or less an extension of my last post about the Twitter 'porn name' game. That specific Twitter example is just one instance of a larger issue of privacy and security. In its infancy spyware started with less malicious, but still ethically challenged, intentions. From its origins as adware, the idea was to monitor the Internet behavior and web-surfing habits of users in order to collect information that could be used to more effectively target marketing efforts...read more   Microsoft Patches PowerPoint Zero-Day Flaw Good news! There is only one Security Bulletin from Microsoft this month. MS09-017 addresses vulnerabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint which have been getting attacked over the last month with a zero-day exploit. You can learn more about the attacks against the PowerPoint vulnerability from this article...read more     Sponsored Links   Best Moves in a Bad Economy Save & Invest the Right Way Find out how to beat a bear market, make smart choices, and keep your cool even when the economy is unpredictable. Internet / Network Security Ads Security Paper Wireless Securities Computer Protection Network Computer Crime Advertisement     Visit Related About GuideSites: Wireless / Networking Antivirus Software Focus on Windows Email internet   Search About      Sign up for more free newsletters on favorite topics. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Net Security newsletter as security.world@GMAIL.COM. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please visit: http://www.about.com/nl/usgs.htm?nl=netsecurity&e=security.world@GMAIL.COM About respects your privacy. Our Privacy Policy. Our Contact Information. 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2008 About, Inc.