FACEBOOK: How to protect yourself (Part2)

"Ain't no man can avoid being born average, but there ain't no man got to be common." Satchel Paige

My Facebook Account has been hacked! How did that happen?

When someone says his FACEBOOK account has been hacked he is saying one of two things

1. Someone has obtained his FACEBOOK login details (email and password)
2. Someone has created a FACEBOOK page meant to look like his using details gleaned from an unprotected page.

We will deal with item 2 next week on a post dealing specifically with configuring your privacy settings properly.

So how is it that someone could obtain the email and password you use to login to FACEBOOK?

1. Someone gained access to your PC and used tools to obtain data you asked your browser to memorize (Saved User Names and Passwords), something many people do make logging in to their account easy.
2. Someone who knows you and already has your email account "Guesses" your password.
3. You left your email account details open to everyone in FACEBOOK and someone Guesses" your password.
4. Someone has used a software tool to obtain your unprotected email details and uses software to generate thousands of passwords until they find one that works. Some people actually offer FACEBOOK hacking services.

Example of a Facebook Hacking Service Advertising on the web (Sterilized of course)

Now the first item is NOT going to happen if you limit access to your PC, Use a login password which is not easy to guess and follow precautions which prevent your computer from being infected by password stealing malware. Most FACBOOK accounts get hacked because your privacy settings allowed access to your email account details, the password used was not complex enough or you gave access to your private account details to a rogue FACEBOOK application or game (See my last post).

While doing my research of the top 1000 passwords used by computer users, I discovered that way too many people use passwords which are extremely easy to break into. As an example, I refer to this one website that lists what they believe are the top 20 passwords used. In a word, the results of my research were frightening.

Using a password of "Password" may be cute but it is on that list, with a capital P, as if that made it hard to guess. A numeric password of "123456" isn't going to be safe for you either. I won't list them all so read the list for yourself at this website. If you are using some or all or part of your first name, last name in your password you had better change that as well.

In order to maximize safety and minimize exposure, you need to use a complex or strong password which keeps you from being an easy target.

So what are the traits of a "Complex or Strong Password"?:
A. Use at least 8 digits (Mine is over 10 digits long)
B. Use at least 1 special character ( For example *, &, $ or +)
C. Use at least one capital letter
D. Use at least one lower case letter
E. Use at least one number

At the end of this Post, you will find a link to FREE software tool that helps generate and securely store strong or complex passwords.

NEXT WEEK: How to configure your privacy settings for maximum protection

Here is a little more on using Strong or Complex Passwords


And a bit more. Protecting Passwords is becoming big business


And some more. A FREE tool you can download and use to generate and securely save passwords.

FACEBOOK: How to protect yourself (Part1)

"It ain't what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you know that ain't so." -- Satchel Paige.

First, at the risk of repeating myself: I Love Facebook


It has allowed me to keep up with friends and family in a way that was never before possible. I've even touched based with old friends I haven't seen in years. Life is busy and so are we!

Facebook can be a safe place to visit if you use the necessary precautions and some common sense. That is what I want to bring to the table. I have already touched on the subject of safe browsing habits some weeks ago. For a refresher you could read that again by clicking here.

In this first part of the series FACEBOOK: How to protect yourself, I want to talk about Facebook applications, Facebook games and the links you are bound to see coming your way everyday you log on to the site.

Valentine's day on Facebook saw many people sending Valentine's to all of their friends. I know I received several myself (blush!). If it were not for the fact that I typically hide them, I would also see many posts for Farmville and similar games. These are all examples of Facebook applications and Facebook games. Nothing in my post is intended to offend anyone when I say that I personally ignore all of them. Let me tell you why.

Every time you click on a Valentine or Farmville posting, for example, this is what you see:
Has everyone taken the time to read it AND understand it's meaning?

Essentially, by clicking the box that says "Allow", you agree to:
"let it pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work"

After you agree to it, the application has access to information regarding your friends information, your photos and your profile. The privacy settings you have so carefully setup are moot since you have just given permission to allow access. If the application were malicious in intent, you would have given the means to steal your identity. This bears repeating: BY CLICKING ALLOW, YOU HAVE GIVEN AWAY ACCESS TO INFORMATION WHICH WOULD ALLOW A THIEF TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY.

Check this out:


Other types of postings can then be sent to all your friends that could, for example, be links that try to invade and infect their computer with malware, viruses, keyloggers etc.... Or worse.


And, Remember, keep your real important stuff private:


I'm a pretty busy guy and don't have time to question everything I click on so I made a personal decision to ignore any Facebook application or games that requires access to my profile, my photos and friends list. Facebook was started with the sole purpose of keeping connections to friends and family, sharing with them and spreading the news. I'm just keeping it that way.

I am not saying you shouldn't do Facebook applications and Facebook games, just be cautious.

Next week: My Facebook account has been hacked: How the heck did that happen anyway?

Malware Spread by Sites like Facebook results in losses of over 13.3 billion dollars worldwide

Financial losses of over 13.3 billion dollars worldwide have been attributed to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube etc...! The estimate provided by "Computer Economics" is for losses by businesses worldwide and does n0t even include us private citizens nor does it include the many reports of stalking and, even, murder
Sites like Facebook are revolutionizing the way we stay in touch. Without Facebook I would not have the means or the time to stay in touch with old friends and family as I now do.... and this is a very good thing. Do you enjoy the personal interaction as much or more than I do? I thought so.

Facebook alone has over 350 million subscribers which would make it the forth largest country in the world (If it were a country). This has made Facebook and other social networking sites (Twitter, Youtube, Buzz etc...) very attractive to organized crime. These are not kids hidden away in some basement messing with a computer. These cyber-criminals are sophisticated and use socially engineered ploys to dupe people into handing over their identities and then get their cash.

Does this story sound familiar?
"Several weeks ago, I got a message from a Facebook friend suggesting I check out a link she had forwarded. As my index finger hovered above the anchor text, deep down inside something went, “Not so fast.” I opted out of the click-through and, as it turns out, I made the right choice. A few hours later, I received a desperate and dramatic email message from my friend saying, “I’ve been corrupted!” Hackers had gotten a hold of her Facebook password and were passing themselves off as her — those cads."

Users think nothing of sharing otherwise confidential information that they would never leave on an answering machine (birthdate, place of employment, telephone number, email address, home address, when they will be away and so much more... everything about themselves. It doesn't have to be this way. I know plenty of people that list nothing at all except the city they live in and the names of their kids. They also make sure their privacy settings are reviewed regularly for accuracy and software protection is up to date.

This is intended to scare you... don't let it. There is something to learn from it... This has nothing to do with money either:

Stay Tuned for Next week's Post: What you can do to protect yourself on Facebook and other sites like it!

If you are also in business and your staff are not currently blocked from visiting Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube and similar websites, you need to speak to your local IT Professional... (Yes, I'm tooting my own horn again, GEEKS UNLIMITED can help you with this and many other areas of concern that are costing you a lot of money)

Tah! for now and remember: There is no secret road to happiness, happiness IS the road.

While researching this, I found these little tidbits, the first is an example of the negative and I have absolutely no way of validating any of it so I assume it's a lot of BS

FACEBOOK - CIA Profile Database


Be Careful What You Put On The Internet:


Victim of Facebook stalking (Funny but does make the point):

Safe Surfing Habits Can Save You Money

Hope you have never seen this before!

Please Send a Link to this page to all your friends.

Well! I was going to write about some of the best tools available for cleaning malware and virus infections from your computer. A little bit of common sense (and the little voice in my head that tries to keep me out of trouble) told me that "Prevention" would be the best topic to address first.

Many computer users, whether they use a Windows PC or a MAC, will use a PC repair service like ours to deal with problems resulting from risky browsing habits. There are so many dangerous websites and programs in the uncontrolled environment of the internet, that a person has to be prudent and use a few precautions. Even legitimate sites like Facebook etc... will expose you to risks. They oftentimes include links which are engineered to look attractive and innocent. One click and...... BAM. (Not unlike those emails many of you have been unable to resist for one reason or the other)

There are a couple of fundamental steps that every user can take to decrease the chances that you will be victimized by such problems. Prudent security habits can save a lot of money that would otherwise have to be spent on computer repair work.

Use a safer browser:
Not all internet browsers are created equal. In addition, most of the good ones do have safety features and give warning messages when it thinks you are doing something which could potentially be dangerous. Unfortunately, many people, out of perceived convenience or indifference, do not heed the warnings or turn the safety features off. Some argue that Internet Explorer poses additional risks due to its use of ActiveX controls. This is true only to some extent. Because of this and also because they know they are taking risks, many users opt for browsers that do not use this feature for daily browser use. Most select either Firefox, Google Chrome , Safari or Opera. There are others of course. Personally, I favor Flock.

In spite of all this, it is also a fact that many people use Internet Explorer (Even on the MAC) exclusively and never have a problem. Of course these same people never surf to porn sites, don't bother with social sites (like Facebook, twitter) nor do they download music or programs from file sharing websites. So, this fact alone proves that being safe really means being cautious and avoiding risky behaviour.

Install all Security Updates:
Your operating systems (Windows and MAC OSx) have pre-installed tools to help you combat dangerous programs. By way of example, Microsoft Windows has a feature called Windows Updates which provides recurring security updates. You should have these set to run automatically or, if you prefer to do this yourself, make sure you do so weekly or even daily.

In addition, there are also Antivirus updates and things like that. These updates are issued based on newly discovered vulnerabilities, the latest viruses and spyware that are affecting machines around the world. It is imperative that you don't miss out on these software patches.

These steps alone could cut down on the need for future computer repair work, saving you a ton of money.

These updates are provided free of charge so don't be caught where a free online update might have solved a problem. If you are a MAC user, this also applies to you.

Use Antivirus/ Anti-malware software and use them properly:
Please ... check your system for viruses at least once per week, more often if you prefer. Most of these programs can be set to run a scan automatically in a way that it does not interfere with your schedule. Learn how to use them and remember it is important to always download the most recent program version before running your scan. Many programs can even be scheduled to that for you automatically. You also need the newest virus definitions which usually come in with your regular updates. Do your research, consult with a competent IT person, make sure the programs you are using are legitimate, work properly and meet your security needs. So many dangerous programs profess to be virus scan programs. Top rated and legitimate antivirus and anti-malware programs will prevent you from wasting money on unwarranted visits from your PC repair service.

Regularly Purge (delete) Temporary Files:
There are free programs that will automatically purge or delete temporary files. Temporary files, including cookies is a preferred hiding place for tracking files and dangerous applications. Get in the habit of using a program to delete these files on a regular basis. Some people I know delete them after each browsing session. By doing this, you will significantly lessen the odds that you will be victimized by spyware. Temporary files also eat into your hard drive space. The worst case I have ever seen of this concerned a customer who had virtually no hard drive space left at all. A cleaning of temporary file free up 70% of used drive space.

Remove unnecessary startup programs:
A number of spyware programs will bury themselves in your computers startup processes. These startup programs significantly complicate the removal process. There are free programs available that alert you to these and allow you to disable them. This is another precautionary step that could make the difference between running your computer safely and needing to spend a pretty penny on computer repair work. Once viruses have been permitted to run during the boot cycle, a PC repair service will probably be necessary to solve the problem.

Here's a list of just some of the FAKE antivirus and FAKE anti-malware software out there. These actually infect your computer, not the other way around. BE AWARE: BEWARE

Of course... if something does happen and you cannot deal with it, you could always use a service such as the one offered by GEEKS UNLIMITED Technical Services. There I go, TOOTING my own horn again :o)

As usual, I invite your feedback, whatever it may be. Help spread the world, please forward a link to this page to all your friends.

And remember, "There is no secret road to happiness, Happiness IS the road."