Identity Theft Afflicts Users of MySpace

A fresh security problem plagues controversial MySpace.com, a social networking site. Completing a year of undesirable attention on hacks, lawsuits, and arrests the portal hardly had time to assess 2006.

Users of MySpace are current targets of a large many online identity thieves. They have been capturing usernames, passwords and private information to use them unscrupulously. Miscreants on the Net send to MySpace visitors either spam mails or links leading to harmful sites or even use their credible identities to pass as themselves.

MySpace's parent company, NewsCorp says it is taking action to curtail identity theft, nevertheless social networking sites like MySpace are easy to use that has made them vulnerable. spammers create fake profiles and send 'friend requests' to unwitting users. The fake profiles actually carry worm. Sometimes the fake profile shows a blue screen meaning that it is protected by the 'MySpace Adult Content Viewer'. When a visitor tries to download the viewer hoping to get some pornographic content, the hidden worm installs adware on the personal computer.

A devoted visitor of MySpace, Kary Rogers, an analyst of networks at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, discovered the attack. It happened when he was waiting to view a video from a link that his friend messaged him from the site.

First the link directed him to a page, which asked to re-enter his password. Roger suspected it an attempt of password theft, so he overlooked the lure. He quickly went back and created a new password.

MySpace often faces challenges of managing risks that arrive with enormous and rapid growth. It is easy in MySpace to add a short computer code of a few lines to create detailed profiles, which users can personalize with photos, videos, and music. There are a number of communication tools that make sending messages simple. They can help to send messages to a single individual or a host of friends who can be part of a huge list of more popular users of MySpace. Vandals can use the same tools to make the spam appear from an innocent user to the same list of friends.

Related article: Identity Fraud Looming on Users of Facebook

» SPAMfighter News - 1/2/2007