Attention Facebook & Twitter Users: Hackers Are Now Using Your Friends Accounts To Transmit Viruses

“Hey, I have this hilarious video of you dancing. Your face is so red. You should check it out!” If you've received a message like that through a Facebook or MySpace friend, you may have been exposed to the "Koobface" virus. Here’s what’s going on…

    Hackers have now made a new cozy home for themselves on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Disguised as one of your friends, they’ll send you a direct message with a video link attached. If you click on the link, you’re prompted to update your Flash player to see the video, and therein lies the virus, cloaked in a "flash_player.exe" file. Once installed, this  worm transforms your computer into a Zombie machine as part of a botnet (a network of computers that are controlled and used by the originator of the worm for unscrupulous purposes).

Are You Really At Risk?

     Unless you are aware of these scams, it is very easy to become infected. Some of the direct messages and tweets have titles that are very deceptive. Some of the more common messages will say, “Here’s the video I mentioned…", or "LOL," or "My friend caught you on hidden cam," or "My home video :)” These messages are followed by a link directing you to a page to watch the video. These seemingly harmless messages can quickly infect your entire office network, allowing hackers a free pass in. In addition, they can block you from accessing important security updates, making your network even more susceptible to hacker attacks. In some cases, they use their free access to your computer to steal bank account information, credit card numbers, social security numbers and other confidential data.

How To Protect Yourself

     Awareness is the first step to protecting yourself. Make a copy of this newsletter and hand it out to all your coworkers and your friends and family so they don’t get infected or infect you. Next, follow these three simple steps:

1)    Frequently Change Your Password And Don’t Use Easy To Guess Combinations. I know, it’s a pain in the neck to change your password frequently, especially when you have dozens to keep track of. But this really is one of the best ways to avoid compromising your account on social media sites. Additionally, don’t use simple passwords like “password” or “123abc.” Include lower case and capital letters, as well as numbers. If a hacker is trying to crack your password and you never change it (or if it’s super easy to guess), you make your account a prime target.

2)    Avoid Downloads. Avoid downloading anything from messages on Twitter or Facebook, even if the message is from someone you know. As a general rule, never download any file if you are not 100% certain it is secure and virus free.

3)    Get A Beefy Firewall. If you or your employees are using any social media sites for personal or business connections, a strong firewall will protect you from getting infected. That way, even if you or your staff inadvertently opens a dangerous message from one of these sites, your firewall can prevent it from bringing your whole network to a grinding halt.

If you’d like more information on the importance of securing your network against social media threats, please e-mail us at support@thinktechonline.com or call us at 508-992-2541.

Are Social Media Web Sites Helping Or HURTING Your Business?

Seems like all you hear about these days are social media web sites and how businesses are using them to communicate with customers; but what you don’t hear (as often) are some of the downsides of this new and vastly popular media as it pertains to protecting your online reputation, employee productivity and confidentiality.

    In the US alone, the average time spent on social media sites has increased by 700%. If you are using these sites for marketing purposes, it may be GOOD news, especially if these social media junkies are spending some of that time reading your Twitter posts or becoming fans of your Facebook page. However, if your employees are spending hours online chatting with their friends or goofing off, it can mean thousands of dollars in lost productivity. Plus, let’s not overlook the risk of them posting confidential information online or “jokes” or comments that could be offensive to customers.

     Here are 3 quick tips that every business owner should have in place:

1.   Have a signed social media policy in place for your employees – and enforce it. This should be added on to your acceptable use policy for online usage. Outline what web site they can go to, when and what they can (and cannot post) online.

2. Sign up for “Google Alerts” on your company at www.google.com/alerts. This service will send you an e-mail alert whenever someone posts something regarding a keyword you specify. We recommend setting up alerts for your name and company name at a minimum.

3. Install and use content filtering software for all employee PCs. This will automatically police employees’ online usage and enforce your policies. Of course, if you need help in setting up any of these policies or content filtering software, give us a call!

508-992-2541

More “Friends” Might Equal More $

With social media sites like Linkedin and Facebook changing the way we keep in touch with business associates and personal contacts, almost every person you meet can lead to an invitation for a "friendship" on one of these sites.

While this connection may not seem significant, big companies are finding otherwise, according to Business Week. In recent research studies, these companies began looking at how employees relationships on social networking sites can actually speed the flow of knowledge and increase profitable ideas coming into their business.

Advertisers are also looking to these “friendships” as a tool to learn more about their customers. They are finding, for example, that if you buy something, there's a better-than-average chance that your “friends” on social media websites will buy it too; leading to targeted messaging and advertisements. Ultimately, companies will use this information to sell more products and drive more revenue. Just another added bonus to having lots of “friends.”

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