brandon + eddie users guide phi 235
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Social MediaSecurity
Users Guide
Eddie Walsh, Brandon SweeneyPHI-235 Summer 2014
Prof. Maureen Ebben, Prof. Julien Murphy
Social Media
Social Media consists of websites and applications that enables users to create and share content and participate in social networking . In todays technologically advanced world the exchange of information and ideas in virtual communities
through online applications is a common practice. Over the past few years the number of users of all ages has increased
dramatically on all types of social networks and is becoming a primary tool which regulates how we interact in society today.
JOIN THE MASSES• Social media sites and apps such as
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are gaining much popularity around the world.
• Facebook now has over 1 Billion monthly users which continues to grow.
• With all of these users one must take precautions to keep their information safe and secure.
Status update networks: Networks designed to allow users to post short
status updates in order to communicate with other users quickly. Sites like Twitter provide users with the ability to instantly
post updates publicly or use privacy settings for just assigned contacts
Location networks: Todays GPS enabled allow these networks which interact with other social
networks to broadcast the users real-time location privately or publicly on sites like
Foursquare and Loopt. To learn about location privacy read the ACLU of Northern California's
Location-Based Services: Time for a Privacy Check-in
http://aclunc-tech.org/files/lbs-privacy-checkin.pdf
Types of
Social Networks
Types of Social NetworksPersonal networks: These networks allow users to create detailed online profiles and connect with other users to create social relationship/friendships. Examples of these sites include Facebook, Friendster and Myspace. These networks often involve users sharing information with other approved users, such as one’s gender, age, interests, educational background and employment, as well as files and links to music, photos and videos. The companies operating these social networks collect this variety of data about their users, both to personalize the services for the users and to sell to advertisers , making it possible for this information to get in the wrong hands.Content sharing networks: Networks designed for sharing content, such as music, photographs and videos. Because websites like these such as YouTube and Flickr enable users to create a profile and share data with others via the same network information becomes vulnerable.Shared interest networks: Many social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Goodreads are designed for people with specific interests, hobbies, educational backgrounds, or religious and political views which could be targeted to gain access to particular information.
IS SECURITY POSSIBLE?• A users personal security while using a social media platform can easily be compromised, however taking a few steps that will be covered in the following slides can decrease your % of suffering such an intrusion.
• Having a plan and implementing the preventative measures in the plan is a good start to securing your personal information.
Why Security Measures?With Social Media becoming an inevitable part of human culture it comes with positive and negative consequences. By exploring the many types of Social Media such as creating a Facebook account to catch up with a friend, LinkedIn to explore business opportunities, or using and site create connections with other users, you create an internet profile which shares your information. However, many people besides friends and associates are interested in the information people post on social networks. Identity thieves, scam artists, stalkers, and corporations looking for a market advantage are using social networks to gather information about consumers. Its important to be aware of the personal information you put on to the web and the security measures that can be used to prevent these issues.
PASSWORD SECURITY QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOURSELF• Is your password considered strong? or is it considered weak?
• Who else may know your password?
• When was the last time you changed your password?
• Do you use the same password for many accounts?
PASSWORD SECURITY• If you are unsure about any of the
questions on the previous slide you may want to consider upgrading your passwords.
• Websites such as lastpass.com or identitysafe.norton.com can help by creating secure passwords for users to utilize.
Personal InformationWhen wondering how much of your personal information is public you
must take a few things into account. Do you want a network profile open to the public? Does this particular network hold the rights to all
information that is uploaded? Can you customize your privacy and security settings to your liking? How is your information gathered? There are two
kinds of information that can be gathered about a user from a social network, information that is shared, and information gathered through
electronic tracking.
User Shared Information
Types of info -Photos and video - Age and gender
- Biographical information (education, employment history, hometown, etc.) -Status updates/posts
- Contacts - Interests
- Geographical location
User shared data involves information which a user has chosen to post publically without any restricted access or privacy settings. Social networks don’t guarantee the security of the information that has been uploaded to a profile, even when those posts are set to be private. Social networks can also change their privacy policy at any time without the users permission which is why its important to understand the sites current policy. Click here to learn how to read a Privacy Policy:http://www.oag.ca.gov/privacy/facts/online-privacy/privacy-policy
Electronic Tracking
Types of Info-Tracking which websites a user has viewed. -Storing information associated - Tracking movement from one website to another. - Building a profile around a user.
Many networks gather data by electronically tracking information that is uploaded onto its program. To collect this data networks gather cookies which are short strings of texts stored onto a users hard drive. Certain networks use this data to gather information about a users
behavior and configure their site to the persons individual preferences. For example is the items in a users shopping cart on a social
media site are usually clothing and accessories the site will show advertisement's for items of
the same nature.
Here is a website that further explains electronic tracking and steps to help you block unwanted cookie tracking http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/cookies.htm
Tips for Social Media Use-Once posted, always posted: Protect your reputation on social networks. Don’t post what you don’t want people to see!
-Use unique passwords for each social network: The more passwords you have and the more complicated they are make it harder for your information to get hacked
-Know and manage your friends: Only share personal information with people you trust.
-Watch your mailbox: Accounts are hacked by spam and malware sent through direct messages to you in a rogue link via message or email
Privacy and security settings
exist for a reason: Learn about and use the privacy and security settings
on social networks. They
are there to help you control who sees what you
post
Facebook Tip:Norton Safe Web for
FacebookUsing this free app, scan your
newsfeed for scams or malicious links:
https://apps.facebook.com/
nortonsafeweb/Norton Safe
Web scans your news feed for unsafe links and warns you of potential threats so you don’t share them with
your friends.
DID YOU REALLY LOG OUT?
• Many times users will not properly exit a website and the next user will have access to past logged in accounts.
• Many users will stay logged in for convince however you are putting your self at risk for intrusion.
Things to Keep in MindOther than people who want to steal your information for illegal purposes such as identity thieves
or scam artists here are some other reasons your personal information is valuable.Social networks that provide their services without user fees make a profit by selling advertising. This is often done through behavioral advertising(explained in last slide).
Government Agencies such as the IRS, and the U.S. Justice Department can utilize public information on social media for investigations, surveillance, and data collection. So don’t upload anything incriminating! To view the rules and regulations of this practice view this document provided by the U.S. Justice Department https://www.eff.org/files/filenode/social_network/20100303__crim_socialnetworking.pdf
Creditors May use social networking sites! Creditors are beginning to data mine social networking sites, including Facebook and LinkedIn, in order to supplement the information gathered from traditional credit reports By doing this they obtain a more complete picture of a potential borrower's risk profile.
SECURE SITES• We commonly make purchases over the
internet. The safety of these transactions depend on the safety of the website being used.• When using sites to pay
money for purchases be sure to look for https:// rather than only http:
• This added s means that you are working with a secure website.
HIRED OR FIRED?• Social media activity can have positive and
negative effects on job seeking and keeping
• If your social media page has pictures and posts that may be seen as too graphic, or unprofessional a potential employer may notice that content and not decide to hire you.
• However if you have a page that is professional and all business it can help you look positive to a prospective employer.
SOURCES
• http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST06-003
• https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/itsg2/Social+Networking+Security
• https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social
• http://www.sophos.com/en-us/security-news-trends/best-practices/facebook.aspx
SOURCES• https://www.privacyrights.org/social-ne
tworking-privacy-how-be-safe-secure-and-social#introduction
• http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
• http://community.norton.com/t5/Norton-Protection-Blog/5-Tips-for-Social-Media-Security-and-Privacy/ba-p/1099203