SON SON
The concept of twitter building networks to share teeny-weeny bits of information, who need to read a steady of people’s random thought each in 140 character or less, yet twitter is taking the world by storm, it’s number of active users has grown 900 percent from 2007 to 2008, and actually twitter can be quite helpful if you want to receive news updates, promote your business and connect with colleagues and friends.
As great a tool as twitter is there are some significant security risks due to its very nature, as a result of imposing a 140 character limit on each tweet, user replace real URL with shortened ones, such as those created by the service TinyURL or Bit.ly. Those who read the tweets have no way of knowing where the link leads until after they click it, making it extremely easy for mischief makers to funnel traffic to malicious web site, which are then used to infect the user’s computer with malware, how can you be careful about which links you follow if you’ve no way of knowing where they go.
There is no email verification required when new users set up a twitter account; every other service i can think of requires you to confirm your registration by clicking on a link in an email, i could set up a twitter account for myself claiming to be other people and enter the other people email address knowing he won’t be called upon to verify anything.
To make twitter work for you, you need to build a network of those you follow and those who follow you, however, because no identify verification is needed to open an account, how do you know that the person follow you is who her or she purports to be, most people are so happy to get a new follower that they automatically follow back, the problem with this is that fraudsters set up accounts and start following anyone and everyone, when they get followed back, this gives them credibility which make it easier to sucker in the next guy.
Never forget that whatever you tweet is public, unless you’ve locked down your profiles, which very few users do because the point is, after all to attract attention , if you don’t let anyone read your.
Know which accounts are in your network and to whom they really belong. Check out every new follower, if any of their tweets or profiles information looks suspicious, block them. Consider the source of a link before clicking on it.
If you have doubts but feel the need to proceed, use a search engine to find the page being referenced and verify that it’ real, there’s no way to peek at pre-shrunk URLs, and there’s no way to prevent 100 percent of the drive by downloads, even if you’re the curious type, try to put your need to know in perspective, is even the most awesome video ever, worth the risk of becoming a spam bot. Treat your tweets as public, Don’t tweet sensitive information.
Do not uses twitter as a hook-up venue
I guarantee you that every profiles from a sexy 18 years old begging you to “click this link and get to know me” is a fraud, at best you’re funding some sort of advertising click-fraud, at worst you’re about to get infected with malware.
Keep your log-on information to yourself.
Never provide your twitter user name and password or any username and password to anyone. When choosing people to follow use common sense. if you sign up to follow someone and that person immediately direct message you with a how I made million dollars in 24 hours on twitter, scheme, block that account as soon as you can, it’s obvious twitter has a long way to go before it can be considered a secure environment, you’ll have to protect yourself until it gets there.