Less than 1/3 of social networking users protect themselves against hacking

The online survey conducted by AVG and CMO Council found that the widespread and growing use of social networks at home and work is creating serious danger of web-borne identity theft and infection. The survey was conducted during the second quarter of 2009 and gathered responses from a random sampling of more than 250 consumers.

The results of Bringing Social Security to the Online Community poll highlight the vulnerabilities and concerns of social community members around cyber security and the precautions that they are taking or need to take to protect themselves. The survey shows that while the majority of social networking users are afflicted by web-borne security problems, less than one third are taking the most basic of steps to protect themselves against online crimes. Participants indicated concern over growing phishing, spam and malware attacks, and nearly half of those surveyed are very concerned about their personal identity being stolen in an online community.

According to the poll results, despite widespread use (86 %) of social networks at home and/or at work, most fail to perform the following basic security measures on a regular basis:
Changing passwords (64 % infrequently or never);
Adjusting privacy settings (57 % infrequently or never);
Informing their social network administrator (90 % infrequently or never).

Despite the apparent security risks and dangers of engaging in social networking sites, respondents identified several common practices that could cause harm to unprotected users:
21 % accept contact offerings from members they don’t recognize;
More than half let acquaintances or roommates access social networks on their machines;
64 % click on links offered by community members or contacts;
26 % share files within social networks.

As a result of this widespread proliferation of links, files, and unsolicited contacts, users have experienced high levels of breaches and threats: 
Nearly 20 % have experienced identity theft;
47 % have been victims of malware infections;
55 % have seen phishing attacks.

Head of Public Policy, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, AVG Technologies, Siobhan MacDemott said that AVG hopes to reverse this trend on familiar turfs such as Facebook and Twitter. “Our Data Snatchers campaign is a viral effort that will not only get consumers thinking about their personal security but will also provide them with simple tools to do something about it when they are in the spaces that make them feel the most vulnerable.”

Furthermore, the Data Snatchers campaign is about combining sound technology with safe practices while enjoying the social computing experience, MacDermott said. In addition to encouraging users to take advantage of AVG’s free security offering at http://avgfree.com, MacDermott encourages users to follow Six Simple Steps to Stay Secure:

1. Do not accept pop-ups or prompts for software, unless you're armed with web scanner software such as AVG's free LinkScanner, which checks each site for infections prior to access.

2. Do not ever provide, post, or submit any confidential personal data (e.g., SSN, banking details, medical records). Social networking sites do not require this sort of information to join, unless you're online dating or paying monthly.

3. Change your password at least once a month. Do not change it if you're prompted to. This can be a third party malicious link.

4. Do not let friends, peers, coworkers, etc. access their social networks on your computer, nor yours on their machine. Others could introduce infections to your computer through unsafe practices, or your login security could be compromised via cookies saved on your computer.

5. Never auto save your password information, and clear your history at least once a week.

6. Do not accept friend requests or request friends that you personally do not know.