Don’t Let Networking Make You A Target (NAPSA)—Social networks are a growing Web destination—and a growing target for cybercriminals. Facebook membership has grown to more than 400 million active users, a 229 percent jump over the previous year, while Twitter recently reported a 1,500 percent growth in new registered users during the courseof a year. But the risks have also grown. Webroot, a leading provider of Internet security software for the consumer, enterprise and SMB markets, has seen an increase in attacks on social networks in recent months, including a 23 per- cent increase in spam received on such sites in the past year. A recent study by the company revealed how social network users still put their identities at risk: * 28 percent of users report they’ve never changed their default privacy settings. * 81 percent place no restric- tions on who cansee their recent activity. 53 percent aren’t sure who can see their profile. 33 percent of users use the same password to log on to multiple social networks. What Can Users Do? Here are a few guidelines for safer social networking: e Make personal information private—Protect yourself by updating privacy settings on your profile to restrict or omit access to any personal data. If you use services that allow you to share, be especially careful to not disclose your location to the wrong people. Read between the lines— Familiarize yourself with the social networks’ privacy options to ensure youre taking advantage of any enhanced security features. Anti-virus and anti-spyware protection can scan your machine for any online threats you may have acquired while networking. Be exclusive—Only accept friend requests, e-mails and site links from people you know, and even then, be selective about what you open. Protect the password—As a critical line of defense, it is more important than ever for members to choose their passwords wisely, make them different from one site to the next, and change each at regular intervals. Incorporating numbers, letters and special characters like !, $ and * into your password makes it stronger. Suite security—Make sure your computer has an added layer of security to stop attacks before they happen. By scanning your machine for dormant viruses with a free scan and an Internet security suite, you can proactively protect your PC. Webroot offers several compre- hensive Internet security solu- tions for consumers, including AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper and Internet Security Essentials. For more information, visit www.webroot.com.
