he only thing you can do to insulate yourself from these types of attacks i=
s to ensure you have sufficient desktop security in place. Run good antivi=
rus software, ensure your users aren't running as local administrators, and=
use safe browser settings. In a properly secured environment, no website =
should be able to cause a security breach on a PC without the user explicit=
ly downloading and executing a file. Not to say that it doesn't happen, bu=
t the more precautions you can take the better off you'll be overall.
I'm not sure what you mean by "open facebook connection". Any attempt to h=
ijack the source port of the computer making the HTTP connection would requ=
ire the web server itself to be compromised, not the web page being viewed.
I hear these sort of generalized fears often from people who don't fully un=
derstand the technology being used. Social networking is safe as long as y=
ou're running in a sane environment. I tend to agree with Jason, in that t=
he true cost of allowing social networking and other such sites at schools =
lies in the toll taken on the supporting infrastructure.
S
---
Steven Dickenson <sdickenson@keyschool.org>
Computer Network Manager
The Key School, Annapolis Maryland
> -----Original Message-----
> From: A forum for independent school educators [mailto:ISED-
> L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Linda Swarlis
> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 4:07 PM
> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: Re: Facebook question
>=20
> Ben is worried about two scenarios. One is having a hacker hijack a
> link on a Facebook profile. The users won't know that the link has been
> substituted. The actual link will look the same but link to the hacker's
> web site. The other is when the hacker uses an open facebook connection
> to hack into an account. I do know that facebook had many viruses over
> the past two months, but I don't know details. I'm hoping someone out
> there is more of an expert and can give us some additional information.
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: A forum for independent school educators
> [mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Douse
> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 3:20 PM
> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: Re: Facebook question
>=20
> Hi Linda - Is this because of student laptops? Don't the students use
> Facebook on their laptops when they go home? We do block Facebook for
> students during the day - not because of viruses or safety, but because
> they were spending too much time on
> Facebook during the day. Our girls get malware from using laptops at
> home - we just have to help them to remove it or reimage their machines.
> It does not affect our network - only their laptops.
>=20
> Are the rest of you seeing a rise in spyware and malware recently? Right
> now our biggest problem is coming from free TV and movie sites where
> students download software to watch TV and movies - it downloads spyware
> that shuts off our spyware protection -
> tells the user she has a virus - then tries to sell her virus protection
> that will remove it. We have not seen any viruses get past our system in
> ages - not from Facebook or anywhere else.
>=20
> It's always something!
>=20
> Karen
>=20
> Karen Douse
> Director of Library and Information Services
> Ann Scott Carell Library
> Harpeth Hall School
> 615-346-0116
> douse@harpethhall.org
> A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> on
> Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 1:39 PM -0600 wrote:
> >Our Director of Information Technology, Ben Liu, would like to know how
> >schools who do not block Facebook prevent hacking and Facebook viruses.
> >How do you keep your network secure?
>=20
>=20
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>=20
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
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non-
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