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Re-activateSocial engineering, when cybercriminals trick you into clicking on a harmful link, is nothing new. But social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are the perfect environment for such trickery.
"People feel like they're surrounded by their friends and it's easy to fool them," said Kevin Haley, director of product management for security software firm Symantec.
This video (embedded after the jump) by Norton from Symantec graphically shows what havoc can result when cybercriminals hijack your friends' social networking accounts. The e-mail looks like it came from a friend, but when the victim clicks on the link directing them to a "hilarious video," malware is downloaded onto the victim's computer that lets a hacker track their every move–and get an up-close look at banking information and other personal data.
See for yourself how it works so you can be better armed against yet another Internet threat. And take a look at our Guide to Online Security for more tips on staying safe online.
(We think this is a useful video, and though we don't endorse Norton, we did include it in our most recent test of security suites. To see how it performed, check our Ratings of security software, available to subscribers.)
–Donna Tapellini
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