Social Networking Site Users at Higher Risk for ID Theft

I've always been cautious about how much information I post online. The very idea of posting my pictures and personal details on the web for the entire world to see still gives me the creeps, especially since I don't know how this information will be used. I know most people are there to have fun, but not everyone is going to play nice. Apparently, I'm not just being paranoid. According to a survey by CA and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), those who surf social networking sites like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook are at greater risk for identity theft and other cybercrimes. Users of these sites have been cautioned in the past for making themselves vulnerable to physical criminals like sexual predators. This survey, however, focuses on users' behavior in relation to threats of identity theft, fraud, and computer viruses.

Some of information revealed in the survey will definitely cause concern. While more than half of those surveyed are concerned about becoming victims of cybercrimes, they still divulge personal information, like the the 74% who have revealed full names, birthdays and email addresses, information that can be useful to identity thieves. Others open their computers up to malware attacks by downloading unknown files from other users' profiles (83%). Perhaps the most disturbing numbers are the parents who know their children use sites MySpace or Facebook and do little or no monitoring.

Before those of you who enjoy using these sites get too upset with me, I'm not blaming MySpace or any of these other sites for the actions of cybercriminals. Like any other technology, it's not uncommon for someone to take a tool most people use for fun or convenience and use it instead for dishonest purposes. These sites all let you control what information you reveal, so be careful. Some of the suggested precautions from the survey include never providing your address, date of birth, Social Security number or any financial account numbers. When it comes to downloading files from anothe user's profile, proceed with caution since it contain a virus or spyware, and be sure to protect your computer with the necessary firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software. I highly recommend reading the article for more details and recommendations.