By Doctor Security
Security experts worldwide are predicting that 2010 will be the year cybercriminals focus on using social networking sites like Facebook to launch attacks.
Now, one of the best ways to keep yourself secure on Facebook – one that they will never tell you because it’s going to contradict their business model – is to limit the number of friends you connect with.
I know there’s an old adage that you can’t have too many friends. Well, that is not true in your online life. Unfortunately, the more people you interact with in cyberspace, the more exposed you are to cyber threats, which includes malware, spam, phishing attacks, identity theft, online harassment, and cyber stalking.
There’s no need to have hundreds of friends connected to your PERSONAL Facebook profile. In my opinion, the quality of my Facebook experience goes down rapidly when I am connected to more than 60 or 70 friends. I start missing out on postings and become overwhelmed with all the different things going on with so many people – many who are just acquaintances.
For my professional network, I strictly use LinkedIn for connecting with all those people I’ve come in contact with over time as an employee or individual contributor. It’s like a business club, whereas I consider Facebook the place for a gang of old friends. You don’t want to mix these two groups together, that way you can avoid the figurative black-eye or worse if the video of you getting a black-eye happens to be posted by a friend.
Again, in order to protect yourself online this year, you will need a robust, constantly updated security software like the ones found in the ZoneAlarm family of products.