Worries about internet security were notched up another gear as Facebook blamed a bug for an apparent case of Zuckerberg hacking.

Internet security is a constant worry for all users of the web so to hear that Facebook had been targeted again only heightens concerns about overall security.

The BBC and a few tech sites reported that what was described as an ‘odd’ posting which claimed to have come from Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.

The 26-year-old American who has made billions from Facebook apparently made a posting to a fan page which is said to have called for the website to become a social business. And one which does not require the backing of the world’s financial markets. This was obviously a reference to recent stories about a possible Facebook IPO which would give a public company status.

The posting read:
“Let the hacking begin: If Facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn’t Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way? Why not transform Facebook into a ‘social business’ the way Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus described it?”

Facebook issued a statement saying:
“A bug enabled status postings by unauthorised people on a handful of pages. The bug has been fixed. It was a handful of public Facebook pages and no personal user accounts were affected.”

The posting was not Mark Zuckerberg of course, but the fact that the erroneous message was the result of a hacking, won’t endear many to the website’s ability to beat off attacks.

The Muhammad Yunus referred to in the message is the founder of the Grameen Bank. This acts as a loan institution to individuals who have business ideas, but no collateral to get started.

The fake post pulled in 2,000 comments before it was brought down and software security company Sophos say that the page in question, which has three million fans, has been moved to a new address.

A spokesman for Sophos told the BBC:
“It’s quite possible that other people than Zuckerberg had access. It could have been one of those that got hacked. I can easily imagine that something like that could have happened. The other possibility is that [Mr Zuckerberg] strode away from his desk for a while and someone grabbed it and typed the message in. Although you wouldn’t think that would do much for their job prospects.

“As a general rule this can happen to anyone. Just because a person is famous or well known doesn’t mean that everything that is posted from their account is legitimate.”

It is said that French President Nicholas Sarkozy suffered a similar fate recently when his account was hacked and message released saying he was resigning. Experts are worried that tools like Firesheep make it easy for people to grab login information for unsecure websites.

With incidents like this, worries will continue about the current state on internet security.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

Social networking is a popular online activity. Millions of people have social profiles on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Due to their popularity these sites they are prime targets for cyber crime attacks. Internet security threats via social networks are on the up, so it is essential you are aware of the risks. 

Twitter and Facebook are very appealing to hackers as they are very easy to reach millions of computer users very quickly. Internet scams and spam messages are sent from supposed “friends”, which instantly give a false element of trust. When browsing your favourite social network typical behaviour involves clicking shared links which if caught of guard could harm your computer. 

As well as social networks being used to spread links which direct you to sites with malicious code and fake antivirus software, your data can be harvested to be used for fraudulent activity. As these attacks are becoming increasingly common luckily a lot of social network users are becoming wise to suspicious activity. 

The reason for the growth in social networking internet security attacks is due to the continued improvement in spam email filters, coupled with the fact computer users are becoming more email security conscious. People realise when they have received a scam email as the same old tricks have been used by Internet criminals for years now. 

Social networking remains a relatively new phenomenon. Many young people use them who do not have internet security high up on their agenda. Sometimes scam messages will come from friends’ accounts which have been hacked so it can be difficult to spot harmful content.

According to the National Fraud Authority in the UK threats to internet security threats from malware and spyware via social networking has increased 90% since 2009, whilst spamming has doubled over the last couple of years.

To protect you and your computer whilst using social networks, be wary of any links to stories or videos that sound too unbelievable. Also be aware of people who want to connect with you who you don’t know.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

Major internet security software company AVG Technologies has started a new online campaign to help University students with the threat of status jacking on Facebook.

For all companies in the internet security software sector, coping with the threats on Facebook and other social bookmarking websites has become a key concern. The problem of Facebook status is an age-old problem for users of the website. ‘Status jacking’ comes about by stolen or misplaced account information being used by a friend or a criminal to post embarrassing or personal statuses on someone else’s Facebook.

The campaign began after, research carried out by AVG’s ‘Threat Labs’, highlighted the serious threat social networking sites pose to internet users. AVG Threat Labs found that there were 19,491 compromised web pages on the 50 top global social networking websites. 11,701 of these can be found on Facebook, which still resides as top dog in the social networking hierarchy. Just behind Facebook was YouTube, the popular video sharing website, with 7,163 of the compromised web pages.

It is easy to see why students are the most at risk from having their statuses hijacked on Facebook; Facebook’s majority of members are of the 18-25 age bracket, with the website being popular with this student age group the world over.

Ambassador of Free Tony Anscombe said: “The fact that we found almost 20,000 compromised web pages on the world’s most popular social networking sites should make social media users sit up and take notice. In particular, it is the audience most active on these sites, those under 25 years old who are most at risk. Our campaign will involve further research showing that only a few students take proper social network precautions, as well as a series of informative but also fun, guides and videos.”

Of course, to make matters worse, research also points to another worrying statistic. 18-25 year olds are well established as being the age group least likely to protect themselves against internet security threats; many are sloppy when it comes to keeping their computer’s protected and many simply ignore the dangers altogether. Whereas 23% of internet users are concerned about their security when using the internet (statistics from UK’s Ofcom Communications Market Report), only 15% of 16-24 year olds are as concerned. Privacy has even more dire statistics for this age bracket; only 9% actively care about the threat to their privacy whilst online.

It seems that the new online campaign by AVG is needed, then, to ensure that university students and others of a similar age are given the tools needed to effectively protect themselves whilst using the internet; especially the social networking sites that they so often use. Other internet security software companies will no doubt be looking into similar ideas to try to keep the younger population protected from the potential dangers of the internet.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

Major computer security company AVG has identified new social network application threats from what’s become known as Political Hacktivists.

And these Political Hacktivists are becoming a major threat to social networking websites like Facebook.

For those unsure of the term, Political Hacktivists are those that use non-violent use of legal, or indeed illegal digital tools to make a political statement. For example, the research team at AVG spotted that a number of Facebook accounts has apparently been targeted by Turkish hackers. Their actions appeared to be in revenge for the recent ship seizure as people tried to break the Gaza blockade, but were stopped by the Israeli military.

The Political Hacktivists use a number of techniques and tactics to make their point. These include virtual sabotage, website defacements, re-directs, information theft, virtual sit-ins, website parodies and denial-of-service attacks.

Roger Thompson, AVG Chief Research Officer. said:
“The number of hacked accounts is fairly small, so far lass than fifty, which would indicate that it is not an automated attack, but the number is still increasing, albeit slowly. This is the first time, as far as I am aware, that Facebook has been a victim of political hacktivism.

“Given that the attack seems to be being run by Turkish hackers, and that Turkish hackers had once claimed a world record for defacing 37k pages in a single day, we should not discount the thought that they might find an automated way to move, and we should be extra vigilant with what we click. Think before you link.”

AVG state that Facebook has had a number of such attacks from Political Hacktivists and warns people to take care when accessing social networking websites.

AVG recommends to avoid such Political Hacktivists attacks, computer users should always practice safe surfing, which includes using a link scanner which helps identify, in real time, rogue links and other web-based threats.

And as always, users should ensure that their anti-virus software application is fully up-to-date.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

If you use the internet you need to consider computer virus protection. One way to protect your computer is to use antivirus PC software. The anti virus software is designed to protect your PC from viruses that can be found when you surf the web. 

Computer viruses can be contracted in a variety of ways. Sometimes you will visit a website which has malicious code on it which will then install itself on your computer. The virus code can attach itself to a program on your computer. Some computer viruses can be very dangerous as they can reproduce themselves and infect other computers on your network or even PCs you communicate with through email and instant messenger. 

How do I protect my computer against viruses? 

There are new computer viruses being created all the time which is why it is important to make sure you have the best virus protection. There are many different kinds of PC protection software so you will need to do some research to find out which software is the most appropriate for your computer usage. 

Antivirus reviews are a great way to find out which antivirus software is the best and how they work. Good anti virus review sites will have antivirus software reviews and will also provide information about the latest computer security issues. At Antivirus-BUYability we bring you the latest virus news so you can be aware of all the latest computer vulnerabilities and how to stay safe online. 

Computer Viruses 

Hackers and cyber criminals will often exploit the latest fads and technology in order to spread computer viruses very quickly. For this reason social sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a risk to your computer because they are often a target for people who wish to spread computer viruses. By using computer virus protection you can use these sites with no worries of security issues. 

Another popular way in which computer viruses spread is through email. Because email viruses can spread so quickly it is important when you are reading your antivirus reviews you ensure the antivirus software you buy gives you adequate email protection. Email viruses can inject onto your computer even without opening the infected attachment, by viewing the email in your preview pane can cause infection.

Computer virus protection is a must in a world that is increasingly digital, be vigilant when opening and downloading files. If you are unsure of the source of the file then delete it from your PC. IF you keep up to date with potential computer viruses by reading antivirus reviews sites and buy antivirus software you will have done your best to protect your computer against viruses.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein