Chikere Cottoy
02.19.07
WRT205
Prof: Madeline Yonker
Content analysis Essay
Social Networking and Security
In this day and age where Social-Networking sites are causing the internet to burst at its seams, one may question if this trend has reached its pinnacle of popularity. With sites catered to an array of consumer tastes ranging from politics to entertainment just to name a few there is indication this isn’t a mere fad. It would be absurd to ignore the popularity of these sites and their impact on the public at large. Social-Networking sites have provided means for people to communicate freely, distorting concepts of distance, time and convey the idea of a community; an online community that knows no border and encompasses regions in all corners of the globe. Such communicative options are very appealing hence the popularity of these sites by all genders, ethnicities, social or economic backgrounds. Its unselective nature therefore isn’t restrictive of users who may have malicious intent. The new web atmosphere has somewhat become more relaxed and this is transferring to online users. Information that was too taboo to divulge is now coveted online as individuals freely express personal happenings in their lives. This complacency though is a matter of concern as predators exploit such vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities not only experienced by children but adults as well.
With shows such as Dateline’s ‘To catch a predator,’ designed to capture grown men whose intention it is to lure underage girls for sexual encounters, parents have grown quite apprehensive regarding their children’s online behavior. Dateline uses the metaphor predator to describe the actions of grown men preying upon the vulnerability of children. They perpetuate the stereotype that all sexual predators are aged men. The popularity of Social networking sites instills fear within some experts and parents that believe these sites may become new breeding ground for pedophiles. The mere thought of pedophiles capitalizing upon the anonymity the web affords, using these sites as their playground have caused many to push for more stringent online practices for minors. There is a notion that maturity comes with wisdom, and this idea causes many adults users of these networking sites to feel capable of not falling victim of online predation. Unbeknownst to many adults, there is a manner of online predation that occurs more often and is geared towards them. Their confidence in not falling prey to some of the schemes that children would, resulting in their relaxed behavior, and such complacency exposes them to predation methods like Phishing.
Phishing is the practice of luring unsuspected users to divulge sensitive information on fake websites with authentic-looking organizational logos. Phishing is a metaphor used to describe the act fishing and the internet users are the fish. Phishers use false sites as bait to reel and capture information of their prey. For instance when information s logged into fraudulent sites usernames and passwords are now in the possession of the criminal. The article ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ the office of Information Technology and IT Security at the University of Maryland, reports that the popularity of social networking sites such as Myspace, have consequently made their users vulnerable to acts of Phishing. The report highlights that in ’06 many of Myspace’s users were victim to a Phishing scam.
The attractiveness of sites like Myspace to Phishers is that it encourages its users to divulge personal information, therefore fake sites can easily ask for personal information and users often oblige, unknowingly placing info into the wrong hands. ‘Social Networking Sites: A Haven for Identity Thieves’ the article posted on Trustedid.com illustrates the complacency of one online user of Myspace.com. This specific woman takes the regular precautions such as not opening spam offers and pop-ups but admittedly relaxed when it comes to offering personal information. The article delivers its point further when it presents the statistics that 74% of social networking users give out their personal information. Many people fall under the impression that giving such personal information is harmless, the idea of if it were so dangerous why would the site have it available? Sites like Myspace publish information as to warn minors not to reveal too much personal information. These sites however aren’t as diligent in warning theirs adult users making them prime targets for identity theft.
The act of spear Phishing is common to those that perform identity theft. These cybercriminals make targets and personalized attacks. Usually these attacks are geared toward acquiring information such as bank account and social security numbers. Example; I usually purchase telephone ring-tones from Myspace and would like to acquire a new tones for my phone. I follow the link to purchase the items and am instantly directed to a site asking for credit card information. As I list my information and send to towards the site for verification. Unbeknownst to me I have given information to a fraudulent site that not has my crucial information. I would now be a victim of Identity theft. My example is a personalized account, aiming to convey an idea presented in the article ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ written by staff in the Office of Information Technology and IT Security at the University of Maryland. This isn’t limited to identity theft but also spyware and viruses, both piggyback on links of fake sites and emails. Spyware is a form of spying these sites use to steal information such as your online web habits, which sites you frequent. Knowing such information simply allows them to devise new spear Phishing techniques.
The occurrence of malicious incidents geared towards adults far outweighs those of children. It is imperative that Social networking sites provide a safe haven for adults as well and try to eliminate some of the online complacency. I do acknowledge that there are sexual predators that prey upon children however more provisions should be made to secure both children and adults. There is sufficient knowledge indicating that both forms of predation are commonplace however protection practices are quite uneven. Underestimating the power of social networking sites due to their alluring and appealing nature could quite possibly be detrimental for individuals young and old.
Bibliography
TrustedID, ‘Social Networking Sites: A Haven for Identity Thieves’ Feb. 19 2007 <https://www.trustedid.com/html/identity_theft_protection_resource_013.php>
Office of Information Technology & Security, ‘Social Networking Sites under Attack’ Feb. 18 2007<http://www.nethics.umd.edu/Phishing%20on%20Social%20Sites.pd>
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