Are Facebook changes a security risk?

Facebook have made some dramatic changes to their software, which we covered in detail last week. As with all major software overhauls the public reception has been mixed. Bitdefender claim however that the changes may open up users to more serious, security related problems.

Bitfender, an internet security developer said yesterday that the changes may actually expose the user base to targeted attacks from spambot infestations, and hackers who attack social networking sites.

FaceBook are silent pushing Smart Lists according to the security company which does mean that users are encouraged to publish more personal information about themselves. Bitfender also said that the subscriber option makes the organisation more open to spambot attacks.

Bitfender say: “Health is now social… and public.

The Facebook timeline considers health information social. Now it’s easy to share health-related information such as breaking a bone, undergoing surgery or overcoming an Illness. Probably most disturbing point here is that this information is set to “Public” by default.”

They continue “Facebook introduces the “widget” concept to the new timeline. It lets developers take action on various objects. This moves the interaction to a whole new level. Until now, everyone who had an application installed interacted with his friends inside the app. Now, the app is on the user wall, so anyone who interacts with the user profile interacts with the app.

Considering the short lifetime of spammy apps, this could boost their efficiency. Of course, this feature is just starting, so it will likely take a while until the scammers exploit it. But every successful viral feature has eventually been exploited by social media scammers.”

Read their full news post over here

Kitguru says: Regular user of FaceBook? Have you concerns?

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