Social Media and Malware

The FBI conducted a two year operation to lead to an indictment of malware on personal computers.  Operation Ghost Click  was part of an effort to investigate and stop cyber theft.  Read more:
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/november/malware_110911

Results of bullying

What's going on . . .

IM NOT GOING TO KILL MYSELF. I JUST NEED TO GET THIS OUT HERE.

 

Stand Together Against Bullying

If you haven't seen or heard, there was an episode of Extreme Makeover that touched my heart. The Walker family. If you haven't watched it, you should check it out. It's about a family who lost a child because of bullying at school. Its an easy and preventable thing, yet ...children suffer from it every day. 160,000 children every day stay home from fear of bullying. It's an epidemic, and it stops now. Our children need to be taught the simple rule of respect for others. If you support the anti-bullying cause, then this event is perfect for you. ITS SO EASY! And I truly believe can make a HUGE impact. Anyone over the age of 13 can do it. Here's what you do:

1. Go to abettercommunity.com
2. Find the link about anti-bullying.
3. Enter the requested information into Stand Together's website.
4. Get your number. Save and Print it
5. Take your picture (only one person per number).
6. Upload onto Stand Together website.

Please help support anti-bullying!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2483397877843.279761.1039481207&type=1#!/events/229759940428394/?notif_t=event_invite

Social Network Account Spoofing

Users of Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks are vulnerable to attacks that rely on account spoofing. A scammer poses as either someone you know or a friend of a friend, in order to fool you into revealing personal information. He then uses that information to gain access to your other accounts and eventually steal your identity.

In a typical exploit, says Joffe, someone contacts you on a site like Facebook or LinkedIn, pretending to be a friend of a friend or a co-worker of someone you trust. Then, this new "friend" contacts you directly through text message or email. The correspondence seems legitimate because you believe he has a connection with an individual you trust.

In another scenario, a scammer might impersonate someone you already know -- claiming to be an old friend from high school, for instance. Spoofers can find out your connections by following your public feeds or looking up the names of co-workers on sites like LinkedIn, where you've posted your work information.

Once the scammer has established a connection with you, he uses devious means to steal personal data, such as chatting online to find out the names of your family members, favorite bands, hobbies and other seemingly innocuous information. Then he uses that information to try to guess your passwords or answers to security questions for banking sites, webmail accounts or other online services.

Morehouse describes another type of attack that targets companies as well as individuals. The spoofer might set up a Facebook page that claims to be the official company page for, say, a major retailer. The spoofer might claim that the page is a formal method to contact the company or register complaints.

The page might offer fake coupons to entice people to join, and it soon goes viral as people share it with their friends. Once hundreds or thousands of users have joined the page, says Morehouse, the owner tricks them into giving out personal information, perhaps by signing up for additional coupons or special offers.

This ends up being a double attack: Consumers are harmed because their personal data is compromised, and the company is harmed because its customers now associate the fake Facebook page with the real company -- and decide not to buy from that company anymore.

Joffe says there is no way to prevent a criminal from setting up a fake Facebook page, but companies can use monitoring tools such as Social Mention to see how the company name is being used online. If an unauthorized page turns up, companies can ask the social network to remove the fake listing.

November 21, 2011 (Computerworld)

Text-Message Malware

While smartphone viruses are still fairly rare, text-message attacks are becoming more common, according to Rodney Joffe, senior vice president and senior technologist at mobile messaging company Neustar and director of the Conficker Working Group, a coalition of security researchers that came together to fight the malware known as Conficker. PCs are fairly well protected today, he says, so some black-hat hackers are now targeting mobile devices. Their incentive is mostly financial:

Text messaging provides a way to break into devices and make money.

Khoi Nguyen, group product manager for mobile security at Symantec, confirmed that text-message attacks aimed at smartphone operating systems are commonplace now that people are increasingly reliant on mobile devices. It's not just consumers who are at risk, he adds. Any employee who falls for a text-message ruse using a company smartphone can jeopardize the business's network and data and possibly cause a compliance violation.

"This is a similar type of attack as [is used on] a computer -- an SMS or MMS message that includes an attachment, disguised as a funny or sexy picture, which asks the user to open it," Nguyen explains.  "Once they download the picture, it will install malware on the device. Once loaded, it would acquire access privileges, and it spreads through contacts on the phone, [who] would then get a message from that user."

In this way, says Joffe, hackers create botnets for sending text-message spam with links to a product the hacker is selling, usually charging you per message. In some cases, he adds, the malware even starts buying ring tones that are charged on your wireless bill, lining the pockets of the hacker selling the ring tones.

Wireless carriers say they do try to stave off the attacks. For instance, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney says the company scans for known malware attacks, isolates them on the cellular network, and even works with federal crime units to block them.

To keep such malware off users' phones, Joffe recommends that businesses institute strict corporate policies limiting whom employees can text using company networks and phones, and what kind of work can be done via text messaging. Another option is a policy that prohibits text messaging entirely, at least until the industry figures out how to deal with the threats.

November 21, 2011 (Computerworld)

Flash Mob/Flash Rob - Social Media or Social Crime?

I am sure that by now that most people have seen many of the famous flash mobs like the Christmas Hallelujah Chorus or the Freeze Mob at Grand Central Station that has caused some minor disruptions in public, but flash mobbing has taken a new twist and is socialized to large groups with the intent to commit crimes.  This new methodology is called “Flash Rob”.  Flash robbing is done through mostly gangs in large cities and is organized to hit a specific store or shop in a large mob, steal merchandise nad the flee as a large group.  Merchandise is typically stolen by wearing it and leaving once the mob vacates the premises.

Since this is typically associated with gangs, it has become an initiation for some, and another attractive game for our youth to become involved with.   Most of the flash mobs have been peaceful as a group shows to participate, recently one such mob in Hollywood turn from a small crowd at a Disney event and became a large mob that obstructed traffic.  Police attempted to clear the street and resulted in the us of non-lethal bean bags being discharge into the crowd.  This event was covered over some time and required the response of the police.  Flash Robs are done in a short time in which businesses are targeted, attacked, and the mob-robbers disperse the area immediately.

Read of the growing trend in Flash Robs in some of these articles:

“Flash Mob” Of Youth Vandals Puts Philly On Alert

FLASH MOBBERY DALLAS – Minority Youths Trash & Rob Another Convenience Store

Flash Rob Video: Mass Theft Becomes Latest Teen Trend on Web

To guide our youth in the right direction, you should know what your children are doing on social media, who are their friends, and where do they go when they are with their friends.

National Night Out - August 2, 2011

National Night Out Is a community policing preventative tool used to reach out to the community and promote programs that provide safe neighborhoods and prevent crime.  I participated in National Night Out during my time as a Marine, and as I travelled for work today witnessed the spirit of the programs is still alive in both the civilian community as well as the military community.  As I travelled to Fort Meade, MD for work this morning the local Fire, Police and other safety and law enforcement agencies were setting up to provide useful information to the community.  Locally in the Fredericksburg, VA area, communities like Culpeper, Stafford, and Spotsylvania hold local event in support of the National Night Out.  Check out National Night Out and search for events in your community.

Social Media Advice for High School and College Athletes

Just as I have previously discussed, NCSA founder Chris Krause discusses how social media can affect scholarship opportunities.  Krause says that high school athletes are becoming aware that their online posts can go viral immediately and be viewed by college recruiters. 

As a parent of one college athlete and another rising high school athlete, I constantly view their profiles to ensure that they are not doing anything that may demolish their image.  It is not only what they post, but what someone else may post on their profile, constant defamatory posts from friends on your profile can be an indicator that it is time to “unfriend” someone.

Click here to read Krause’s article from NCSA.

Online Opposition

Teenagers are not just getting caught throwing a few punches when there is a disagreement; they now take their argument viral. Facing any type of opposition used to result in just a head on face off, and maybe a few punches until broken up.  But today, all who have access to social media now have the power of cyber bullying at their hands.

As a parent when trying to discourage children from engaging in fighting we need to apply that same concept to cyber bullying.  Cyber bullying has prompted many states to enact laws that directly deal with violators and laws that hold educational institutions accountable of adopting policy that enforces these laws.  By 2008, fourteen states enacted such laws to stop cyber bullying and protect the victims (USA Today, 2008).

The problem with cyber bullying is that it never goes away.  Just as I talk to teenagers about their behavior on social media and how it could affect their holding or getting a job, cyber bullying creates an electronic trail as well.  This affects those who are doing the bullying as well as those being bullied.  The trail can go on and on while online.  For the victim, sometimes this can be fatal causing some to take their own life base on the threats and bullying from others.

Working for my organization, I regularly screen new hires social media sites prior to interviewing.  Not only do I look at how they conduct themselves online, but are they making threats toward others.  This is typically not the person that you want in your organization.  While no others consider this an issue, the fact that I have access to it and knowledge of questionable behavior has caused me to stand my ground on a few occasions against other panel members’ choices to hire.

Some suggestions for dealing with opposition online and dealing with cyber bullying-

Teach children to:

Stay in groups – If being bullied online, then stay in groups when in the public.  The threat is imminent.

Standing up for yourself and others – Be directly and respectful when standing up to bullies.  It is important to show them that no matter how their behavior is, you getting down on their level is not the right thing to do.  If you have to step in for others who appear too weak to defend themselves, maintain the same composure,

Always try to avoid fighting – Refer to the previous suggestion.  Trying to match someone physically is dangerous.  Today assault laws are more stringent and even if you are the more physically dominant, your actions can bring legal repercussions against you later.   Aggression or using physical force will most likely make the situation more dangerous.

Report any incidents – Regardless if it began as an online cyber bullying or in person let adults know what is going on.  This includes parents, teachers, and counselors and law enforcement.  Any aggression online should be reported through the social media service provider as well so if they have policies in place that can act in an appropriate manner to keep you stay safe and solve the problem.

Parents should:

Be and stay informed – Learn about your school’s policy toward bullying. How do staff members respond to these situations? Are there school resources online and at the school office to assist you in protecting your children?  How can families be involved in solutions?  The threat is real; do not dismiss it just because it is “only online”.

Work together/Reach out - Get involved to better understand bullying and cyber bullying.  Understand the signs.  They are there in front of your face.  I always say “knowing your children’s friends is know your children”, use this tool to know what is going on in their lives.  Especially on social media sites today children like to vent when things are just not going right for them, read between the lines, their conversation with their friends, and any escalation in their online posts.  My children were not allowed to have a social media profile unless I was their friend on it.  I am also friends with their friends that I know real well.  Together, this allow me to assess they state online and intervene before it may be too late.  If this is a big problem, maybe those who deal with it best need to become involved with other that are troubled in dealing with cyber bullying, work together with your school, the teachers, administration, and other parents to make positive changes.

Always be vigilant of the signs – Stay alert of potential violent or dangerous circumstances that may escalate to more serious situations.  Call law enforcement officials for any bullying situation. Some adults are hesitant to take this step, but it can be necessary for preventing violence and breaking the cycle of bullying.  Additionally, if the bullying is only in person, law enforcement will usually advise that once charges are filed, any other aggressive acts, even cyber bullying can warrant an arrest.  Just recently I had one of my son’s friends at our house and he was constantly stalked by another young man that just turned 18.  Normally he would do the right thing and avoid the conflict or fighting, but he would never put into motion other actions that could protect him from future attacks.  I recently encouraged him to file charges for a physically aggressive act against him.  While we were at the magistrates office, they drafted a warrant against the attacker and the warning in the warrant included any non verbal attacks against him like texting, social media posts, or gestures.

So if you encounter opposition online, you have choices – defend yourself or your position, back down, or try to reach a compromise and avoid escalating to the level of attacking others online. 
You and your children can control the outcome!

Resources:

USA Today, 2008

ParentFurther.com, 2010

Service Providers Safety Features for Wireless and Social Media Use by Children

Do children have a right to privacy when it comes to social media and cell phones?  As responsible parents technology equips us with tool s like GPS enabled cell phones and parental internet controls on computers.  I remember when I was a kid that I always needed to carry some change in my pocket to use a payphone to check in with my parents.  These days almost every child has their own cell phone, how did we ever survive without one when we were young?

With the capabilities of cell phones that can track their location, technology has even greater capabilities with Internet access in almost every cell phone.  So how do we as parents apply the right filters to these devices?  The answer lies with your service provider.  By contacting your service provider you can control the capabilities of the cell phone in the hands of your child.  Not only is it a safe idea to limit what your children have access to but it can be a good economic choice as well.

Unrestrained access on a cell phone is inviting trouble because the child does not have to be at home to access website that children should not be on, or use access to social networks while out of the house to meet others that they connect with.  Parental controls that are either available in the device or controlled through a network online account control can restrict downloads, web sites and features for blocking certain web sites while allowing others.

Some service providers have recommended children protection packages that may cost an extra charge per monthly service, but a little extra insurance is invaluable when it is measured against the peace of mind that it can provide protecting your children and the potential cost they can incur when having the ability to download anything they want.

Here are some packages that major providers offer to protect children with access on mobile devices:

AT&T:

-Provides consumer advice on connecting to the internet and child safety

-Provides safety connect program for all features connected through AT&T services

-Easy to use parental controls

Sprint/Nextel:

-Family Locator

-4NetSafety

-Partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Verizon:

-Partnership for Child Safe Internet

-Wireless has parental controls and usage controls

-FIOS has parental control to block content

Contact your provider for available service for child safety on wireless devices and social media.

Personal Communication - A Lost Art

Do children really need access to the Internet and their social networks 24/7?  Technology is a wonderful thing when we examine how it assists us daily, check bank account balance while standing in the grocery checkout line, or receiving an email to meet a client for a lunch meeting, or maybe a change in your children’s soccer game schedule is updated on the on the team web page and you are notified through RSS feeds.  Our children have already lost the fundamentals of communicating through constant texting through their cell phones.  They do not know how to converse in public.  I have even witnessed young texters in the same room as each other that will text to one another rather than talking.   

Just recently, my niece from Pennsylvania came to Virginia to visit our family.  I sent her our address to plug into her GPS, provided a written set of directions as a back-up plan, and left my cell phone number at the bottom of the directions.  When she still did not arrive after five hours, I tried to call her and received an automated message that her cell phone was not capable of receiving calls.  “What?”  How can you have a cell phone that works but is not capable of receiving calls?   I called her parents to see if they had heard from her.  That is when her father (my brother) informed me that she does not talk on her cell phone so she only pays for texting minutes.  So I had to ask my brother “how does she send and receive texts while driving?”  I do not condone talking while driving either, but it would be much easier to let someone know that you are alright using a phone call rather than texting.

So what happened to the fundamentals of communicating?  How do we instill these communication skills in our children that will encourage participation in the classroom, prepare them for interviewing for jobs, and make them better personal communicators?

Another problem that stems from this is that their perception of reality is recognized as this virtual world that they communicate in.  They have no concept of threats and are less vigilant to potential threats.  Because most of their communications are through social networking; they cannot detect deception as someone would through kinesis.  They are vulnerable to these threats as they friends everyone who sends them a friend request on their profile.  It becomes competitive to see how many “friends” each can acquire to outdo their other friends, recognized as a status of popularity.  The threat escalates from there as friends of friends who they do not even know are requesting to be friends.  I am employed as a Personnel Security Program Manager for the Army, trust means a lot in our organization, and it is validated with a personal security investigation with background checks.  We do this to protect our valuable assets and information in the government, should we not be able to protect our valuable assets in our families . . . our children?

Here is a suggestion to safe socializing on the Internet. 

·         Child:  “Can I have a Facebook account?”  Parent:  “Yes, as long as I am your Friend.”

·         Be part of your kid's lives, knowing them is knowing their friends too.  If you know their friends you can you will know who they hang around with.  I am friend on profiles with many on both of my sons’ friends; I know what is going on in their lives.  I can also intercede when I see potential dangers and teach them etiquette while they are using social media.

·         We have to teach our children discipline and vigilance while using social media, correct their mistakes and explain why it is wrong to do what they are doing.  They will thank you for it later when you save their reputation, their job, or from a potential employer judging their character based on their social profile and pictures. 

·         Google their name to see if they are creating multiple accounts to avoid parental oversight.

Welcome

Hello. My name is Bob Lusczek and I am an organizational communication major at Kaplan University working toward my Bachelors degree in 2012. I have started this blog as a classroom project but if successful, may continue beyond the course requirements. This is an place where ideas to protect youth exposed to social media from predators and other potential threats. Talking to youth about their behavior and participation in social networking has extended beyond just my parental responsibilities, it has become an obligation to steer young network users clear of danger, avoid potential network dangers, and keep their communiqué positive.



I originally joined Facebook about four years ago to promote my disc jockey business.  Shortly after joining I noticed how my profile took off with new friend requests.  Most of these friends were from my high school that I have not had communications with since graduating in 1984.  With these friends we experienced a positive connection as we became familiar with each other all over again, but we had no apprehensions as our 25 year class reunion was approaching in 2009.  We are all mature now, there was no high school drama, violent threats, or other malicious acts while we were becoming reacquainted through social media.



Unfortunately, our youth of today are not as wise and this new form of communicating requires parental oversight.  This is what this forum is designed for, please share your knowledge in protecting our children from threats through media, share your ideas to teach and mentor them in be respectful communicators, and share postings that are released by media or law enforcement that will assist in protecting children while they communicate.