Privacy, Security & Virus Information

Social Networking Viruses Due to Dramatically Increase in the 2010s

As social networking sites begin to become increasingly commercialised going into the new decade, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter look like gradually becoming the key target for cyber-criminals. As these sites open their gates to advertising and consequent online transactions, what was possibly being envisioned as a social animal has rapidly become highly commercial.

While the bulk of visitors to these sites are teenagers without the access to a credit card and even a bank account, those lurking in wait looking for a chink in the armour have realised that the bulk of these young people are surfing the web on their family computer. Facebook now has around one quarter of a billion users, then it is no wonder that computer thieves are rubbing their hands in anticipation or rich pickings.

Facebook has already experienced a major attack in 2009, when the KoobFace worm was successfully implanted succeeded in spreading like wildfire through the site as well as several social networks, Further evidence of the threats to be faced came in October when a huge and highly synchronized Botnet based attack, known as the Bredolab, succeeded in infiltrating the accounts of three-quarters of a million Facebook users through the guise of sending unsuspecting account holders a password reset message.

In order to prevent these social networking sites becoming killing fields in the 2010s, the people who developed these sites as a means of social interaction will surely need to take a more active role in educating their users regarding the threats of Malware in all its formats.

They will be looking for the cooperation of the Webs leading antivirus software developers to aid them in their struggle to educate the young and the naive to help them. One of the undisputed market leaders in virus protection McAfee Labs have already issued a report that foresees an increase in threats related to social networking sites, generally well planned Botnet attacks that will simultaneously attack social networking sites and the account details of possibly millions of account holders.

In their annual report McAfee have adopted an optimistic approach to 2010 in general, stating the public's increased awareness of the need to fight cyber crime and the need to invest in reliable antivirus programs. They also anticipate increased efforts as well as improved effectiveness of the international law enforcement agencies to win the battle against cybercrime.

 
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