Ben WoelkPolicy and Awareness AnalystRochester Institute of Technology585.475.4122fbwis@rit.edu

Ten Ways to Shockproof Your Use of Social Media

Introduction

• Everyone is a target• Identity theft is big business• You can’t rely on others to protect

you

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Avert Labs Malware Research

3Retrieved July 24, 2009 from:http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2009/07/22/malware-is-their-businessand-business-is-good/

Phishing on Social Network Sites

http://www.markmonitor.com/download/bji/BrandjackingIndex-Spring2009.pdf

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Tip # 1 Passwords/Passphrases

• Length more important than complexity

It was a dark and stormy night

becomes

ItwasaDark215andStormyNight

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Password Safes

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Tip # 2 Keep up to date!

• Operating System• Applications

Tip #3 Security Software

Layers of Security• Anti-Virus Protection• Firewall• Anti-Spyware Protection

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Tip #4 Recognize Phishing/Scams

Phishing Tips

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Tip #5 Use Social Networks SafelyDon’t:• Post personal information• Post schedules or whereabouts• Post inappropriate photos

http://www.sileo.com/facebook-status-update-leads-to-robbery/

Tip #6 Remember Who Else is There

• Who else uses social networking?– Employers– Identity Thieves– Online Predators

• Facebook Stalker(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCh9bmg0zGg)

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What You Post Can Be Used To…

• Make judgments about your character

• Impersonate you to financial institutions

• Monitor what you do and where you go

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Tip #7 Be wary of others

• Choose your friends carefully• "41% of Facebook users agreed to

be friends with this plastic frog, opening themselves up to the risk of identity theft."

• The frog’s name was Freddi Staur– http://podcasts.sophos.com/en/sophos-

podcasts-019.mp3

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Is this really your friend?

Just because it’s your friend’s account does not mean that it’s your friend!

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Tip #8 Search for your name

• Do a vanity search• Set up a Google Alert

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Tip #9 Guard Your Personal Information!

• Watch out for Facebook Applications!!– A 2008 study

found that 90.7% of apps had access to private user data (only 9.3% actually used the data)

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Tip #10 Use Privacy Settings

• Default settings are set to _________?

• Adjust ______________to help protect your identity

• Show "limited friends" a _____________of your profile

• Disable _________, then open them one by one

http://www.sophos.com/security/best-practice/facebook.html

The First Line of Defense

Stay alert—you will be the first to know if something goes wrong

Practice Digital Self Defense

• @bwoelk• @RIT_Infosec 20