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):