Of critical importance to any of you who use social networking sites such as Facebook and the various applications to which you can subscribe while using them (think Mafia Wars, etc.) is the recent news of the RockYou Database being compromised by hackers.
Occurring on December 4th, the RockYou Database was infiltrated by the nefarious types who scour the internet for penetrable networks from which sensitive information can be retrieved and used for criminal purposes. Username and passwords were stolen, along with any other information that the RockYou application retrieves upon your use of it.
If it?s any consolation to those of you who might have fallen prey to this theft, none of the usernames and passwords have been published, but there?s nothing stopping the thieves from making them publically available ? or selling them, even — when they?re so inclined.
The company behind the RockYou app is largely to blame, carelessly storing the information in an insecure text format. In addition to Facebook, other social networking sites that use the application have seen their users? information hijacked, including Myspace and email services such as Gmail.
If you use any of these social networking sites, we strongly suggest that you change your password immediately, particularly if you?re someone who uses the same password for every site on which you?re a member.
Computer Geeks works hard to stay on top of the latest security issues to help keep your computers safe. If you have any questions about the RockYou hack and how it affects you, or if you’re concerned that your web accounts or computer may have been compromised, give us a call at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435) and our techs can help.
When using social networks such as MySpace or Facebook, privacy is of paramount concern, with the details of your private life sensitive enough that you might want to restrict the availability of that information to those people you trust.
Today, Facebook unveiled a revamped privacy interface, affording its users even more control over how their information is filtered to those viewing their pages. With over 350 million users, making it the world?s largest social network, Facebook is hoping this gives its users more flexibility over how they?re able to manage what they share amongst the community.
Per Facebook, the new changes include:
They?ve removed regional networks, finding that the various communities have become so large as to make its initial purpose inapplicable. Instead, users will be able to share information to friends, family, or publically.
Users will have a tool that assists in setting up their privacy, though the default settings will automatically block that information which is particularly sensitive.
No matter what the item you?re sharing, you will now be able to control who sees it, whether it?s loved ones or the public.
If you?re curious about what this means for your account, Facebook explains the changes in more detail here.
If you?re a Facebook user who also happens to be a frequent user of Yahoo!, there?s some good news that should pique the interests of those looking for a new way to check the updates of your Facebook page and share news culled from Yahoo! to your Facebook stream.
Announced today, with a planned rollout in the first half of 2010, this comes by way of the Facebook Connect initiative that will be integrated across Yahoo! Servers worldwide. As told by Yahoo!, this effort will serve as a bridge between the over 500 million users of Yahoo! who also participate in the growing community fostered by Facebook.
Services such as Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo News, and Yahoo! Answers will be fully merged with the Facebook service. You?ll be able to update your Facebook status from those various Yahoo! Components or do as you usually do ? directly from your Facebook account.
This is just one of many synergistic efforts devised for the express purpose of drawing the internet community closer, taking advantage of its ever-evolving technology to promote the exchange of information and democratize its use.
For Facebook users, we?d like to remind you that Computer Geeks has its own Facebook profile, where we make regular updates to keep our clients informed.
You can get more information about Facebook Connect ?here.
For users of Facebook, the popular social networking site, it?s been reported that the company has made a recent addition to its features that may pique the interests of those who spend a good amount of time uploading pictures. At its core, Facebook is a social networking tool, allowing people the world over to connect and establish new relationships while rediscovering old ones. Part of the experience ? for those who aren?t shy ? is uploading the photos that reveal the life they lead outside of the Facebook community.
A new photo uploader utility is now included within their Prototypes directory, the beta depository where new features are tested before being unveiled to the general public. Introducing a considerable improvement in the process of uploading photos, which has always drawn complaints for its decidedly buggy and difficult nature, this upgrade will surely come as good news to the millions of Facebook users who upload almost 2 billion photos a month to their accounts.
Unchanged since its debut in 2005, the current Facebook uploader still employs what many would describe as an antiquated model, relying on a third-party ActiveX control and a Java applet. Facebook, when assessing the state of its uploader and how it could be improved, decided to break from that reliance.
The new version shows an immediate improvement, with faster uploading and the ability to view other Facebook pages while the photos are being uploaded. Yes, uploading photos takes place in the background, thanks to the entire process being rewritten by Facebook?s engineers ? using HTML and CSS, with the background uploading supported by Javascript.
Installing this new update is easy. To do so, you should visit the Prototypes page, where you can locate the new tool and launch it for your profile. Once that?s done, you?ll be asked to install the plug-in the next time you wish to create a new photo album. The process is quick, leaving you with a new user interface that?s beautifully intuitive, with easier navigation and a cleaner appearance.
As with any new application, particularly one still in the beta stage, security concerns rank high. If not properly debugged, the tiniest hole in the security of the program can compromise an entire system, when exploited by a crafty hacker. Facebook has also included a neat mechanism that thwarts any attempt to use the new uploader to circumvent security. If a security breach is uncovered, Facebook has a ?kill switch? that will remotely deactivate the plug-in.
Facebook is curious about the community?s response to this new feature, asking that users report any issues that arise during its use. At this juncture, with it still being tested, it?s to the community?s benefit that any problems are brought to the Facebook?s attention.
For those who want to try the new uploader, you can grab it here.
As we all know, social networking is all the craze, with everyone from our children to the family dog posting updates on their social networking site of choice — the most popular ones being Myspace and Facebook. These sites allow you to stay in touch with family, catch up with old friends you’ve lost contact with, and introduce bits of your life for public consumption.
While these sites are tremendously beneficial for the aforementioned uses, particularly when it comes to remaining in touch with your close circle of friends, they also leave many unsuspecting users vulnerable to the prying eyes of unwelcome visitors. It’s always advisable to be vigilant when using the internet, and your use of these social networking sites should be no different.
Be very careful with the information you post on your site, making sure not to reveal anything that you wouldn’t want a stranger to know. Everything that you post becomes public, down to the most sensitive detail you decide to divulge.
If you don’t want the neighbor down the street knowing what time you arrive home from work, don’t post it.
If you’re not sure your employer will take kindly to you taking a sick day to go to the beach, you might want to refrain from revealing that bit of information on your Facebook wall.
If you think your parents might experience discomfort when reading about your latest tattoo, you might want to make your Myspace page private? (in the event they’re not on your friends list).
These are powerful networking tools that afford their users the ability to connect with a myriad number of people, for multiple reasons, from business to the recreational. If you have any questions about their use, feel free to ask.
