This year, social networking sites have become popular targets for cyber crime according to a study of hacking episodes by Web Hacking Incidents Database (WHID). This is a shift from 2008 when government and law enforcement agencies were the most enticing targets.
Security experts believe social networks like Twitter and Facebook are targeted because of the sheer number of users. Defacement is the most common motivation for ego-driven hackers, and these high traffic, high involvement communities are a great way to disrupt many victims at once.
A study by Webroot sheds light on a few other reasons why social networks make a ripe targets for hackers.
- 36% of social networkers admit they don’t hide personal information
- 33% admit to using the same password for all of their online accounts
- 28% accept “friend requests” from strangers
With such a high percent of social networking users being unaware of the dangers, “hackers lure users into taking actions they shouldn’t by making it appear as if a friend within their social netowrk has sent them a message – only the message is from a hacker who has hijacked the friend’s account,” warns Mike Kronenberg CTO of Webroot’s Consumer Business division.
Recently, Brian Krebs from the Washington Post 
In basic terms, 
