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Social Networking Means No More Secrets
David Utter
Staff Writer
2007-10-18
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A social networking profile only contains what its owner adds to it. In this modern Internet age, some people put in way too much information and endanger themselves.
 | | Social Networking Means No More Secrets |  |
Little bits of seemingly mundane information can be added together to find out a lot about a person. Online, that could mean being able to access their accounts, or even commit fraud or identity theft.
As Symantec researcher M.K. Low pointed out, the keys to unlocking something like a personal email account could be online already:
(W)hen a user forgets the password to their email, the email program asks them a predetermined "secret" question, like "What is your favorite colour? What was your first pet's name? What is the air-speed velocity of a unladen swallow?" - all of which can be found on social networking sites.
Low found even more about a Florida woman seeking tuition help for entry to a fine arts university. Her profile included employment history, her maiden name, and other details.
This could lead a criminal to take a chance at phishing her for other details, like a Social Security number or a credit card. With enough information, the phisher could steal her identity.
Social networking has been a hot area of the Internet, especially with the opening and rise of Facebook. The risks associated with providing too much information mean people should keep their profiles to a minimum of details.
Letting people find you online shouldn't be an express route to letting anyone steal or compromise who you are, either.
Absolute Poker Kerfuffle, Continued: Scott Tom, part owner of gambling site Absolute Poker, has been implicated in the mushrooming scandal around a recent tournament.
Freakonomics blogger Steven Levitt said Tom, the former CEO of the company, has been tied to the IP address of a table observer who likely passed hole card information to the winning player. Nat Arem has a lengthy account of what has happened so far.
Poker-King.com now says Absolute Poker will be subjected to a third party audit, including a look at Tom's possible role in the scandal.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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