Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
"Misty Buttons" just started follow me on Twitter. She is curvaceous, bodacious and does not get his needs met. Apparently, she needs me to meet those needs. It is, of course, a tempting offer that someone somewhere can accept. But I'll pass.
Twitter porn and cybercrime are one and the same. Criminal hackers use pornography to lure unsuspecting users Twitter in their dens, where they distribute malware and solicit credit card data. In some cases, victims may deserve to be scammed. By clicking on the links that these bums well displayed on their Twitter feed can have a devastating effect on your bank account and PC.
security software provider McAfee Internet reported a 500% increase in malware in 2008. This is more than the previous five years combined. And the FBI has reported a 33% increase in Internet crime last year. According to a survey of 1,000 companies, companies dealing with data breaches have lost an average of $ 4.6 million in intellectual property. All this is due to inadequate equipment, outdated software and various tricks, such as those perpetrated by Misty Buttons, users opening a door for criminals to the business of technology.
But it Twitter porn just obvious that you need to monitor. It is also seemingly legitimate links sent by people you follow. Criminals have realized that Twitter is a social network that brings people together. Foreign follow you and you reciprocate often follow them back and put them in a network. Like email phishing, criminals post tweets highlighting current events, with links that lead to malicious sites or malware direct downloads. Many media outlets have reported malicious tweets that claim to point to news of Michael Jackson, Obama, Farrah Fawcett, Iraq and even the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings. The shortened URLs that are necessary to keep tweets within the limit of 140 characters help mask these scams. As explained here NextAdvisor:
Whenever a complete URL is too long or too heavy, many users turn to URL shortening services like TinyURL. Unfortunately, a condensed URL that appears harmless can easily lead to a download malware or a phishing site, rather than the destination you were expecting. What appears to be a link to the home video of a friend may actually be pointing you toward the Koobface virus. Hackers can target a single URL shortening service and intentionally wrong route millions of users.
How to protect yourself:
- Before clicking on shortened URLs, find out where they lead by pasting in a URL lengthening service like TinyURL Decoder or Untiny.
- Install an anti-virus protection and keep it updated.
- Get a credit freeze. Go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.
- invest in identity theft protection. All forms of protection against identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses identity theft.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and to prevent fraud . He also established a partnership with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips on how you can protect yourself.