subject: Cyber Vandals and Social Networking [print this page] Cyber Vandals and Social Networking Cyber Vandals and Social Networking
Skype is an invaluable business building tool. Not only does it allow you to conduct business internationally without incurring international long distance charges, it make is very easy to share large files and engage your customers in video chats when the need arises.
There is a dark side to Skype. Hackers prey on naive online users. Even though I do not consider myself to be naive, I was duped into accepting and opening a file, in March 2009, when a seemingly active client offered an image to me. When I lost access to my Skype account, I realized I had been hacked. It took a several days to recover full functionality on Skype and it was a real headache because I had to open a brand new account and reconnect with over 350 contacts.
This year, hackers are offering a link that looks like a Skype link. With a slight amount of scrutiny, it is obviously not a link you should follow. I have no intention of verifying this but my guess is that destination page will look like Skype's main login page and, once you login there, the hacker will have captured your credentials and your account will have been breached. If you have a Skype subscription attached to your account through PayPal, the hackers potentially can run up huge expenses for you.
Safe computing and surfing are old topics but their relevance is not stale. Online safety is more than running Spyware blockers and Antivirus software, especially if you are a member of any internet messaging application. When we are online for business, we cannot build our businesses by blocking contact from people whom we do not know. In spite of that, there are some steps you can take to be safer.
How to Avoid Skype Hackers!
Here are some steps you can take to be safe on Skype:
Whenever a friend offers you a picture or file you are not expecting, ask them what it is. Try to engage them in a longer conversation so you can determine if the language they are using is native to them. If you feel uneasy about it, ask if you can connect through voice to have them explain why you should accept the file. A hacker will not agree to talk to you.
When you are asked to confirm a contact, ask the requestor how they found your ID. If they can't provide information that associates them to you through memberships or chats you have a belong to, proceed with caution or decline the opportunity promptly.
When you are invited to click on a link unexpectedly, look at the link carefully first. Here is the dialogue from a recent attempt to hijack my account today. You will notice in the first line that English is not their native language. By the way, THE LINK BELOW IS NOT ACTIVE!
[11:20:10 AM] MyFriend says: hi how are you,i send to you link please sign in ok and thanks xxxx.host.sk/www.skype.com/?id=79826&lc=us
[11:23:04 AM] Marj Wyatt says: oh dear, hackers at work
Recently, I've seen 2-5 of these sorts of offers a week.
Your Online Life and Your Business
Social networks and chat tools, like Skype, have made it easier to build business internationally, as well as enabling the promotion of products and services at a minimal cost. Sadly, they have also opened up a new market channel for hackers. Both Twitter and Facebook have been hacked repeatedly during the past year. To the best of my understanding, this always starts with a malicious link.
Very early in my practice of conducting business online, I learned to set every profile that I have on social networks to approve comments manually so I could avoid the use of my pages as advertising space for others. People who have a penchant for doing this have had the nerve to complain when I do not approve their posts with links to their list building tools or business opportunities. Oh well...
New contacts on Skype are always advised that my connection with them presumes that they will not promote every business opportunity they come across on the web via Skype broadcast tools. When a confirmed Skype contact sends me a link to something that they are promoting, I always ask questions and remind them that I'm not looking for get rich quick schemes. Not so long ago, one of my contacts decided to launch a group chat with the founders of one business, after I declined to enroll myself. It was quite embarrassing for me. I didn't want to hurt my friend's feelings but their behavior was rude, in my estimation.
The LinkedIn network uses a process for profile publications that begins with a request, from you, for the feedback. It is very straight forward. Additionally, LinkedIn uses associations like school or work to help people find friends. It may take a little longer to build your social network there but at least you know who you are connecting with, which provides you with a reasonable expectation about how they will behave online.
Since my online reputation is involved, I also monitor my Twitter feeds. If a Twitter contact presents themselves as being uncouth or a blatant Twitter Spammer, I will "unfollow" them so my Twitter feed isn't cluttered with junk. It is my feed, after all.
With the caveat that I find the Facebook user interface unwieldy and may not have taken the time to figure it out, there doe not appear to be a setting for manually approving comments on my Facebook wall. This is a bother because it enforces a need to go into your account and delete content that you do not want displayed.
Building Business Online
In an age where instant information and communication is readily at our fingertips, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are very powerful business building tools. The inference of anonymity sometimes causes people to be more casual with their manners. It is my position that building an online relationship with your prospects and customers merits the same human courtesy you would offer these people in a face-to-face relationship. When you are respectful of your prospects and contacts, online or offline, you will attract more business contacts who are also respectful of you.
Have fun online and prosper, but remember to be careful!
About the Author
Marj Wyatt maintains a business blog with more artic
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