5 The Most Common Security Threats on Facebook

Posted on February 18th, 2011 by AZCategory: facebook, Tags: facebook, facebook dangerous, facebook security, facebook threats, most common threats on facebook, security threats on facebook

With growing usage of internet and social networking sites especially Facebook world is getting under more and more security threats. These threats always find new ways to get in your personal life and can even make your life hell. So it is always to be aware of these threats and you should try your best to avoid them.

So here we are mentioning five most common security threats on facebook.

1. Clickjacking
This is the most common attacks hitting Facebook users. These attacks use maliciously created pages where the true function of a button is concealed beneath an opaque layer showing something entirely different. Often sharing or “liking” the content in question sends the attack out to contacts through news feeds and status updates, propagating the scam.

2. Fake surveys
This scam is related to clickjacking since it attempts to make you click on something dangerous via a misleading message. Typically, the scam starts with a provocative (sexual or otherwise) message. like: “OMG! Look What this Kid did to his School after being Expelled!”

3. Rogue applications
More perniciously, the fake survey can lead to rogue applications. Sometimes the applications will look for your address book and send the fake surveys to everyone in it, hoping to make money. Other rogue applications can hijack data by installing key loggers or other malware. Other fake applications can turn your computer into a zombie.

4. Amazon vulnerability
A security flaw apparently allows the company’s servers to accept passwords that are nearly but not entirely correct. Fortunately, the flaw only appears to affect older passwords. The flaw lets Amazon accept as valid some passwords that have extra characters added on after the 8th character, and also makes the password case-insensitive. That flaw erases the advantage of a longer password, making passwords much easier to crack via software. This was first noticed by users over at reddit and has been picked up and verified by a number of reputable groups, including Wired.

5. Spearphishing
This is more likely to occur via regular e-mail; but you may also be hit by a spear through a Facebook or Twitter message. Spearphishing (or spear phishing) works like this. You’ll get an e-mail or message that seems quite personal, it may appear to be from a person or company with whom you normally communicate. But it will lead you to a poisoned site. Yes, this sounds like the “phishing” scams you’ve been warned about. In those you might get a message from your e-mail provider saying your inbox is full or you have to verify your identity and so on. Spear phishing takes that a step further by adding personalized information to lull your suspicions. Phishing messages usually appear to come from a large and well-known company or Web site with a broad membership base, such as eBay or PayPal. In the case of spear phishing, however, the apparent source of the e-mail is likely to be an individual within the recipient’s own company and generally someone in a position of authority.

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