Risks of social networking

What are the risks of social networking sites?

1. Social networking worms: Social networking worms include Koobface, which has become, according to researchers, "the largest Web 2.0 botnet." While a multi-faceted threat like Koobface challenges the definition of "worm," it is specifically designed to propagate across social networks

2. Phishing bait: When you realize Facebook has over 350 million users, it's still a significant number. To its credit, Facebook acted quickly, working to blacklist that domain, but lots of copycat efforts ensued (e.g., fbstarter.com). Facebook has since gotten rather adept at Whack-A-Mole.

3. Trojans: Social networks have become a great vector for trojans -- "click here" and you get:* Zeus -- a potent and popular banking Trojan that has been given new life by social networks. *URL Zone -- is a similar banking Trojan, but even smarter, it can calculate the value of the victim's accounts to help decide the priority for the thief.

4. Data leaks: Social networks are all about sharing.Even spouses sometimes over-share how much their significant other is working late on top-secret project, and a few too many of the details associated with said project. The resulting issues include the embarrassing, the damaging and the legal.

5. Shortened links: People use URL shortening services (e.g., bit.ly and tinyurl) to fit long URLs into tight spaces. 

6. Botnets: Late last year, security researchers uncovered Twitter accounts being used as a command and control channel for a few botnets. Twitter is shutting these accounts down, but given the ease of access of infected machines to Twitter, this will continue.

7. Advanced persistent threats: One of the key elements of advanced persistent threats  is the gathering of intelligence of persons of interest , for which social networks can be a treasure trove of data. 

8. Impersonation: The social network accounts of several prominent individuals with thousands of followers have been hacked.Furthermore, several impersonators have gathered hundreds and thousands of followers on Twitter -- and then embarrassed the folks they impersonate , or worse. 

Fraud:Fraud is deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud itself can be a civil wrong , a criminal wrong or it may cause no loss of money, property or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong.The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, such as obtaining a driver's license or qualifying for a mortgage by way of false statements.

Identity Theft: dentity theft is the deliberate use of someone else's identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person's name,and perhaps to the other person's disadvantage or loss. The person whose identity has been assumed may suffer adverse consequences if they are held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. 

Loss of Privacy: Increasingly, governments, corporations, and other entities are collecting information about you that you willingly or unknowingly give out online. Even seemingly innocuous apps (like games or Facebook "quizzes") may now be collecting a wealth of data about you: Your name, your age, your gender, your physical address, email address, phone number, the particular device from which you access the Internet, your religious and political affiliation, relationship status, what you look like, where you are, who your friends and family members are, as well as your favorite foods, books, movies, hobbies.

Access to unsuitable content: It can be difficult to monitor what your child is viewing as they can access this material through any internet enabled device, including mobile ones such as a phone or tablet. Sometimes your child may stumble upon unsuitable sites by accident, throught apps they’ve downloaded to their mobile device or through links they’ve been sent by friends, chatting to others online, or even through inter-device communication systems such as Bluetooth or Apple’s AirDrop.

Cyber Bullyng: Cyberbullying is bullyng that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.