Tips in Facebook Security and Privacy

Hello readers! Once again your friendly neighborhood has come back and I'm going to teach you on how to use your Facebook account safely. We're going to tackle about "privacy on Facebook" since this application is very popular and has vast amount of users around the world. This article is very useful for less tech-savvy people who had a little knowledge on the impact of "Identity Theft".

Below are facts that could happen if someone wants to hurt you indirectly using your facebook profile:

1. This is the best tool for hackers in "Fingerprinting" or should I say "information gathering" for their specific target/victim.

2. Malicious strangers can use your full profile to fool others, thus hurting your reputation.

3. Displaying your full profile to public including your email address will be the first step for a hacker to make a brute force attack on your password and if successful, you'll soon staring your ceiling and crying for your applications such as Restaurant City, Farmville, Cafe world etc.

4. Assuming that your account has been compromised. If your Facebook account email address and password are associated with your other online accounts such as bank account, personal email address etc. then you need to act fast and try to inform your bank and recover it as soon as possible.

Of course, you don't want to experience what I have written above so now it's time to learn! I've provided easy tips below on how to enjoy Facebook while securing your identity/account.

1. Know who you will accept as your friend. Don't be so excited when a stranger added you as a friend, they might give you something special. :((

2. Be aware and sensitive on your friend's post. Don't assume a link (URL) is safe just because it's from your friend. Instantly clicking posts that contain internet URL is a big risk. Are you familiar with malware "KoobFace"? It is a worm that targets social networking sites. Once your computer is infected, it hijacks the Facebook account and sends messages to other friends of the poor victim, encouraging them to click on a link (URL).

3. Configure settings who can see your profile. At the upper right portion of Facebook, Go to "Settings" -> and click "Privacy Settings" from the list that will appears. On the next page, click "Profile." This will take you to a web page where you can configure who can see certain bits of your profile such as personal info, status, education and work etc. On the drop-down list, I would recommend to use the setting "Only Friends" so that only your friends can see your profile.

4. Hide your Facebook account on search engines such as Yahoo!, Google and etc. Go to "Settings" -> "Privacy Settings" -> then click "Search". On "Public search results" field uncheck the checkbox "Allow".

I found useful links and references below which discuss Facebook security and practices, read them and I'm sure it will help.

Using Facebook and Twitter safely --
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10420861-245.html
How to use facebook 5 tips for better social networking --
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_use_facebook_5_tips_for_better_social_networking.php
How to Avoid Malware on Facebook and Twitter: 8 Best Practices --
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_avoid_malware_on_facebook_and_twitter_8_best_practices.php


We reached the end of my article and I hope you enjoyed every detail of it. Always remember, human brain gets more complex every day and hackers are evolving. Enjoy Facebooking!


Cheers,

Engr. Ralph Christian Payumo CCNA, CCSP, Security+
Security Analyst