Stay Safe On Social Networks During Christmas Vacation

These are really great tips that we should all read and keep in mind especially this holiday season. Please take time to read.

Press Release:

As you get ready for the holidays, remember, so do the cybercriminals, and their cheer could come at your expense. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have adapted and created scams and malware geared toward Facebook and Twitter users, and these threats become more prevalent (and successful) during the holidays.

Kaspersky Lab has put together a list of holiday threats found on social media networks to keep you, and your readers informed and safe this season. Watch out for these threats, so the only thing that can get burnt this holiday season is the green bean casserole!

Phishing for the holidays: Phishing messages use deceptive information or fake websites in order to get consumers to disclose personal or financial information. On social networks, these ploys can come in many forms:

• Viral videos: Keep an eye out for videos that seem to get reposted/retweeted often with the same message tagged to it. If a message prompts you to “download an update for your media player,” to view the video, two things will probably happen: 1) you’ll be infected with malware, and 2) the fake video will be broadcast to all your friends, encouraging them to fall into the same trap.

• Direct Twitter messages: Messages such as “How to lose that holiday weight fast” or “I found this picture of you from the holiday party” accompanied with a shortened link shouldn’t be opened unless you can confirm your friend intended to send you the message.

• Cloned retailer websites: If you find the Facebook account or Twitter feed for a company’s website, make sure to check the URL before you enter any information. It’s easy to create fake websites and social media pages…so make sure to look for any misspellings; for example it’s the difference between BestBuy.com and BetsBuy.com.

Too good to be true: Scams don’t take a holiday. Cybercriminals know consumers will do just about anything to save a buck during the holidays and they are taking full advantage of it:

• Holiday quizzes: These quizzes usually ask for personal information using tactics such as: “before you can receive your prize you must enter your credit card information for shipping costs.”

• Free/Discounted items: A recent Facebook scam featured a Starbucks gift card, telling Facebook users if they re-posted the fake message, they would receive a $50 gift card. Similar scams have appeared promising cheap or even free iPads.

Social minefields: By trusting a seemingly safe post, game, or even group on Facebook, you could accidently enter into a world of spam or worse:

• Fake clickjack charity program: Celebrities aren’t looking to donate to a charity based on how many “likes” something gets. Clicking on that message will only hijack your account and in trying to help a good cause, you could end up spamming your friends.

• Broadcasting when your house will be empty: You want all your friends to be jealous of your holiday trip to the Virgin Islands, but posting your extended whereabouts on Facebook could used by burglars to plan an unwanted visit to your house.

• Holiday Apps and Games: Exercise caution when the “permissions request” box appears and take a good look at what information the application plans to access. Apps and games that try to access unnecessary information are probably looking to get more than a laugh out of you

So what’s a family to do?? Here are some simple tips for staying safe this holiday season:

• Type in the URL: Instead of clicking a link to your bank or a store, do it the old fashioned way and type in the URL in the address bar. This prevents you from visiting a potentially fake and malicious website.

• Search safely: Tools such as Kaspersky’s URL Advisor ensure that you never enter a malicious website unknowingly.

• Stay updated: Make sure to install updates on your computer and software when prompted, it’s especially important to remain protected during the holidays.

And the best advice? Use your common sense: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.