Job seekers and recruiters face social threat

Recent reports have shown that job seekers and recruiters face a real threat from scammers. It has been found that there is an increasing number of attacks via social networks and spam so you must be vigilant!

So what can you do to protect yourself?

Although sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter are no more dangerous than any other form of online media it is possible to get a virus or worm from social media sites, so keep your eyes open and be aware for anything that does not feel right.

One of the most common threats is from worms, sadly not the garden variety which are at least useful! Computer worms can compromise your privacy and the privacy of your social media friends and connections.

Some of the most common worms we have heard of are:

• Koobface Virus - a multi-platform worm that originally targeted users of Facebook (its even an anagram of Facebook!!) Friendster & Twitter. It infects Windows and even,  though my friends say it’s not possible, Macs!  It works by making you think you’re going to watch a funny video or see a funny photo of a friend so that you innocently click on it.
• Profileye Worm – tells you people are looking at your profile which piques your curiosity. The same thing happens with LinkedIn when you get an email that isn’t from who you think it is and when you click on the embedded link to respond, your browser goes to a web site that exploits a loophole in the browsing technology to infect your PC with a virus. Sadly unsubscribing won’t help either!
• Error Check Worm – tells you that some of your friends are having trouble viewing your Facebook page.
• Facebook Shuts You Down  – instructs you that Facebook has just shut you down because you did something wrong.

Here are some simple things that you can do to protect yourself:

• Use antivirus and adware software  – This will only protect you against certain things. It won’t protect you against many of the worms that are application based, but it will protect you against some of them (and many other things). Sophos is a great one for Mac.
• Only update your software from a genuine site – If you are redirected to a software site for an update from Facebook, think twice! Don’t update it from there. If you think you may really need to update your software, go directly to the software’s website and check there.
•  Don’t click strange links - If you get a message saying something like “Facebook has a message for you, click here”, don’t do it! If Facebook has something to tell you, they will send you an email first. If you have a question about a message you received, contact them.
•  Ask first - If you’re not sure if your friend sent you something, maybe it looks suspicious, simply ask them before you do anything.
• Use an effective password  - Ensure your password is a mix of letters and numbers, change it often and try to use different ones for different sites.
• Think before you click  - Never view, open, or execute any email attachment unless you expect it and trust the sender. Even from trusted users, be suspicious and extremely cautious when clicking on URLs in emails, social media programs and especially be wary of shortened URLs. Don’t click them blindly, use previews or plug-ins to get an insight first.
• Guard your personal data - When it is suggested you should add more to your “online CV” it is a balance but simply limit the amount of personal information you make publicly available. Information can be harvested and used in malicious activities such as targeted attacks and phishing scams so never disclose any confidential personal or financial information until you confirm that any request is legitimate.

Have you seen any of these?

Have you heard of others that would make sense to share with our job seekers and hiring managers?

We look forward to seeing your comments below.

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Today’s post is written by Frank Varela CEO of MyPeopleBiz

Frank has many years recruitment experience and regularly posts tips on strategic recruitment, social media, recruitment and job searches. He is passionate about recruitment and advises companies on how to hire the best talent.
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