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The Problem with Facebook


March 13, 2010
The problem with Facebook
I must admit, Facebook is a lot of fun. It’s all about interacting with friends and acquaintances. There is a fundamental problem with Facebook, though.
You trust your friends. However, you are also trusting your friend’s computer, every computer that friend has logged onto, and the security of the password your friend has chosen.
So, why is that a problem? First was the attack on an unnamed major company, reported by Terramark. (USA Today article) Computer criminals used Facebook as an attack vector to compromise a personal computer that had access to the corporate VPN.
The second problem is worms like Koobface (Trendmicro blog). Koobface spreads by using the user’s facebook profile to spam his/her friends.
Both of these attacks share a common thread. On Facebook, you arent trusting a friend, you’re trusting a friend’s Facebook account. You don’t know who is controlling that account.
So, don’t follow off-site links. Especially watch for links that look suspicious or cryptic. Use the privacy features, and be careful what information you give away on Facebook.