Avoiding Facebook Spam and Cybercrime

Facebook is the world’s most popular social media network, and one of the most popular websites, PERIOD. It has over 8 million users - most of whom (over 80%) live outside of the United States (the greatest concentration of users is actually in Europe).

Considering it’s popularity, it’s no surprise that the site is a haven for a variety of cybercriminals - in fact, Facebook sees 600,000 attempts to hijack logins EVERY SINGLE DAY, and more than 20% of Facebook users (that’s over 160 million people) have been exposed to malware.

But thanks to Zone Alarm, there’s a handy infographic that not only breaks down the number and kinds of attacks we’re talking about, but also gives 6 simple solutions to avoid these kinds of problems. Take a look below:

Mashable also has an excellent post on how to tweak your Facebook privacy settings to help ensure your safety on the site - it’s a great article and very informative, covering settings like:

  • Sharing
  • Existing photos
  • Checking in to places
  • Connecting on Facebook
  • Apps
  • Instant personalization
  • Info accessible to your friends
  • Public search
  • Friend lists
  • Enabling HTTPS

It might seem like a lot (and some of these settings can take a while to tweak), but the guide walks you through it step-by-step, and let’s face it: Facebook is not exactly known for caring about their users’ privacy. So it’s up to you to secure it.

Almost everyone seems to be using Facebook - hopefully everyone can learn to use it safely.

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