1. Safety in Social networks
This documentation focused improves
security awareness of social
networks, email account and Instant Messaging accounts. Most of the internet
users don’t think about the security aspect of their accounts and they don’t
have proper knowledge about how to secure them. Specially school
level students and non IT internet users, they are lacking of knowledge of security on
accounts in the web.
The main
objective of this documentation is, protect our
cyber users from threats and give knowledge about the security on their
accounts on the cyber space.
1.1 General safe
tips in social networks, mail servers and Instant Messaging Server
I try to explain most
important tips which user needs to know about safety in social networks, email
accounts and Instant messaging server. Many of tips are common to all the
accounts, but mainly I explain using Facebook network whereas many of Sri
Lankan user’s addicted in to Facebook than other network.
1.
When Login to an account
- Un-check "Keep you Login" check box
Do not tick/check the these kind of
message on your login screen, “Stay sign in”, “keep me logged in”, “Sign in me when service Starts” or
“Remember me”, specially when you are not logging from
your personal machine.
- Deny
storing your account password in to browser when browser asks at the login
When you login to an account through a
browser at first time or after clearing browser cash, it asks to save your
password in to cookies. The Internet Explorer 10 displays that massage
bottom of the window as in Image 01.
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| Image 01 |
In Image 02 display how Firefox
show the same
question and click the icon “x” or click the
icon and select the option “Never
save password on this site”. Then, it will not keep your password on the
browser.
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| Image 02 |
If you give permission to save
password, it will save in to browser cookies, next time browser automatically
fill the password and log in to the account. As well as, others can see your
passwords which are stored in the cookies. Remembering your password into browser
cookies makes very un-secure your accounts.
Different browser may ask same question
in different way when you are log into accounts.
2.
Properly
Logout from the account after using an account.
Logout button normally you can see in top right corner in many accounts home, few of
accounts it is in top left corner. If you can’t see logout button in screen, it
may have in menu after click in icon.
As an example;
Facebook;
Logout by clicking "Log Out" item in the
Menu on 
icon as in Image 03.
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| Image 03 |
- Don’t
close the browser or Tab without logout
Close the browser is not proper way to
logout the account. If you close the browser without logout, next time when the
browser starts, it is possible to keep your account without logout.
3.
Don’t
put your mobile numbers or address visible to anyone on your account profiles.
If you put it visible to public, it may
be very risky for your privacy and it helps to reach you for the people who come to harm
you. This is the most common and easiest way to get victim by others.
4.
Double
check for URL before enters password and username.
There are fake URLs very similar to many of popular sites and
networks but one or two letters different from real URLs. As a example, It is possible of having same screen like
Facebook but URL may be www.fecabook.com,
at once eyes can’t recognized spelling differences, because screen may look
like Facebook. When you enter your username
and password, hackers can get your username and password easily. There are
number of incident which happen similar kind of situations.
What you should follow
to avoid that ?
- Bookmark the URLs which you are frequently use
- Double checks the
correct URL, before enter the username and password
- If you feel any
difference, carefully check the URL spellings again.
5.
Try to minimize log
into networks or accounts in public places (Ex: Net Café), there are some
sophisticated tools to find the password specially.
This can avoid
- Changing character
entering pattern- you can type backward by putting cursor at stating point,
last letter at first, then next character…and first character at last.
6.
Don’t
click URLs which are sent by anonymous users when you are at news feeds or
networks wall or mail box
It may contains spams, viruses and may contain
sexual explicit content which automatically post into your wall and post your
friends wall as post by you.
7.
If
your account is hacked by someone
- Immediately change
your account password.
- If you unable to
change your account password and if it is your Facebook account, asks your
friends to report into Facebook from their account as much as. If you are
threatened, inform to your parents or guardians.
- If your web site hack and valuable personal data stolen or threat by someone according to your
issues seriousness, you can report to http://www.slcert.gov.lk/ or complaint to police.
- Search for solution in the internet, you can get valuable information and solution for the issue
8.
Don’t trust people who
finds you from social networks and do not share your personal things with them.
9.
Beware
when accepting friend’s request
If you don’t know the person personally who request sent, don’t accept the request, just ignore or block it permanently.
Do you know, accepting request will
allow seeing your private details by unknown person? If you want to add
unknown people, add to a restricted group like Acquaintances as in Image 04.
This labeled group may provide many of the network.
As an example:
In Facebook;
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| Image 04 |
10.
Finally respect others
privacy and others security, others data. As you like to be safe on networks,
do not try to harm others or not to make trouble others. You should respect to the computer ethics.
The Ten Commandments which you should
know and follow to be a ethical user of computer
- Thou shalt not use a
computer in ways that may harm people.
- Thou shalt not
interfere with other people's computer work.
- Thou shalt not snoop
around in other people's computer files.
- Thou shalt not use a
computer to steal.
- Thou shalt not use a
computer to false witness
- Thou shalt not copy or
use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
- Thou shalt not use
other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
- Thou shalt not
appropriate other people's intellectual output.
- Thou shalt think about
the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are
designing.
- Thou shalt always use
a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow
humans.
2.
Things
you should know about Facebook security to keep your FB account safe
2.1 Facebook
What people say about Facebook?
- World's Largest Online
Community
- The website was
launched in February 2004 and in July this year had more than 500 million active
users.
- Just like mobile phones and TVs,
Facebook is part of our everyday lives,
- People say it’s a social networking site but it causes more harm than
good
2.2 Inside Facebook
Do you
ever think that Facebook is dangerous and critical place this much?
- A crime linked to Facebook is reported to
police every 40 minutes.
- UK police have
reported a 540% increase in Facebook crimes over the past three years
- More than 100,000 UK
crimes linked to Facebook over the past five years
- Last year, officers logged 12,300 alleged offences involving the
vastly popular social networking site.
- Facebook was referenced in investigations of murder, rape, child
sex offences, assault, kidnap, death threats, witness intimidation and fraud.
2.3 Facebook
security Settings
The Facebook provide number of
security issues to safe account users. It will very helpful to be safe on there.
1. Manage who
can contact and see you and how are restricted to can see and contact.
Under privacy icon on top
of Facebook main screen, you can set many of security settings.
Under drop down list on privacy icon; by clicking each ? icon, you can see three screens as in Image 05 one by one.
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Image 05 |
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In there, you can set;
- Who see my stuff? -You can select which people can see your data as in 1st image
- Who can contact me?-There better to select
Friends of Friends as in 2nd image
- How do I stop someone
from bothering me? - You can put names which you
want to block
2. If
your mobile is lost or stolen
If you
installed and used Facebook apps on your mobile, and if your mobile is lost or
stolen, keep in mind to logout from the mobile by login in to Facebook account from
some other devices.
Click privacy icon, click “See More
Settings”, Click on “Mobile” icon in Left
side; then you can take screen like Image 06
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| Image 06 |
then Click on “Lose your phone?” and it pop-up the screen like Image 07 and click “Log Out on Phone” button.
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| Image 07 |
3.
Manage
Privacy settings
Click privacy icon click on “See More
Settings” label, you
can t
ake screen like Image 08. In here,
you can set who
can see your stuff and who can look up you. It will help to avoid others make
you trouble.
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| Image 08 |
4.
Manage
what others can see on your time line and Manage tagging
Click
privacy icon, click “See More
Settings”, Click on “Timeline and Tagging” icon, you can
take
this screen like Image 09.
Following settings secures your timeline
and manage tagging; it will help to avoid many of trouble.
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| Image 09 |
5.
Be
alerting of activity done by others on your account
Click on privacy icon, click “See More
Settings”, Click
on “Notifications” icon, you can take screen as Image 10.
Following setting set to send
notification for the above actions it will help to notify you when others do
any action on your account.
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| Image 10 |
6. Manage Followers
of your account
Although you are not someone’s friend,
others can your activities by making you as follower. In there, you can set
what others can see from your account as a follower in here.
Click on privacy icon, click “See More
Settings”, Click
on “Followers” icon, you can take screen as Image 11.
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| Image 11 |
7.
When
you publish anything especially photos, make sure not to publish for public
If you publish them in public, anyone in
network can download your photos and they can use them for inappropriate
manner.
In Albums, bottom
right corner of each album you can see small icon. Drop-down menu on that icon, you can select
who can see the album as in Image 12
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| Image 12 |
Make sure that album publish not for “Public”(
That right sign not ticked in front of
“Public” label.)
8. If you find something inappropriate items in your
timeline.
Click the icon which shows when cursor move on top-right corner in the item,
choose “Report/Mark as Spam” as in Image 13
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| Image 13 |
9. If you found a photo of yourself or a tag you don’t like
Go to the screen which display image, click the icon which shows when cursor move on top-right corner on the item.
Then select Report/Remove Tag... from drop down menu, then it will display screen like Image 14 and check the boxes as what you want to do.
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| Image 14 |
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