Protecting Yourself from Social Networking Viruses

More and more people are becoming computer literate, and these people increasingly utilize social networking sites to connect with their family and friends. Some of the most popular social network sites include Twitter, Facebook and Windows Live Space.

If you plan your life around social networking sites, there are some things you need to know to protect your reputation and your computer against social networking viruses. No matter what kind of anti-virus software you have installed on your computer, remember that there are always spammers out there who are trying to trick you and gain access to your personal and confidential information with the use of social networking viruses. Here are just a few tips to protect yourself, your reputation and your computer from these social networking viruses.

We've all done it. We see a link and click it to find out what will happen, or open up an enticing attachment even though we are unfamiliar with the person who sent with the message. Once that the damage is done, all you can do is hope that your one little click hasn't wiped out your whole computer.

Clicking on links that are not from legitimate sources is how many of us fall victim to computer and social networking viruses. This is why it's important that you only click on links that are familiar to you and are from a trusted source. This holds true for email as well, and you should only open email messages from trusted sources.

Many times, we fall victim when we open an email from an unknown person because of a subject line that reads, “I Need Your Help,” or “I Have Money for You.” Hackers are known to befriend you as though they are actually one of your friends, so if you are suspicious, don't open or click anything. If the message is from a friend but seems fishy, call your friend to see if they have truly sent you an email. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Although it may sound stupid, you should always type the address of your social networking site directly into your web browser's address bar. Many people simply save these sites in their favorites or click on social networking links from another link somewhere in an email or on a webpage. In some cases when you do this, you may be entering your information into a fake website where your personal information is then stolen. Many virus creators use this method to access your personnel information, and it allows social networking viruses to infest your computer.

A social networking site is a way to connect with family members and friends; therefore, it is important to only befriend people you know on these sites. Many people fall victim when they accept people as their friends whom they don't even know. These so-called friends just want to befriend you to gain access to your personal information, and what easier way to do that then to become your friend on a social networking site.

Social networking viruses are also common when additional information – including extra applications – is downloaded to your site. These social networking viruses surface when you download a third-party application to your webpage. If you choose to download additional software, learn about the manufacturer and the application first. Anti-virus software is always good to have so that if you download software that contains a virus, the anti-virus software should catch it.

It is also a good rule of thumb to run a virus scan on your computer at least weekly. A virus scan will search for any social networking viruses and any other malware that may be on your computer.

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