This October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month

It is a sign of times that the FBI announced October to be Cybercrime Awareness Month.

It underlines again the huge impact that cybercrime has around the world. During this month, the FBI will discuss ways how netizens can make themselves, their businesses and their families safer online.

The cybersquad special agents especially warn for the darker side of social networking. Posting images, text or other information online can get social network users in trouble.

One example they provided is of a Regent University Law student, who was sued after posting a photo of Pat Robertson (seemingly showing the “Twilight” star making an obscene gesture) on his social networking account. Another case involved an animal control worker, who was arrested after posting his picture while working at the Norfolk animal center.  Personal information in cyber accounts could be used by cybercriminals to get access to the confidential data that they could use for financial gain or other criminal activities.

At Finjan, we welcome the FBI’s initiative to dedicate October to cybercrime awareness. Education is an important part of staying ahead of cybercriminals. We advise all Internet users to learn as much as they can about the latest Web attacks. When using social networking accounts, make sure to check the privacy settings to prevent sharing too much private information.

As we indicated in our previous blogs, be selective about accepting invitations, downloading applications or reacting to “warnings” about outdated anti-virus. When receiving a link, especially a shortened URL, make sure it is from a legitimate source before accessing it.

If you would like to get a security warning before clicking on it, you can download our free browser add-on at http://www.finjan.com/securetweets/