Home topics technology Managing Tech Managing 10 ways to protect your business online Bogdan Dumitru July 28, 2009 While social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are great tools for businesses to engage with their audience and build their profile, they pose significant security risks . Hackers and scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the ways in which they use social media to illicitly gain personal and financial information. As a business owner it is important to know what these threats are, and how you can safeguard your staff and your business . Twitter and Facebook: opportunities for SMEs – and for hackers The latest avalanche of Twitter-related breaches and attacks – ranging from cross-site scripting vulnerabilities to worm attacks – focus on stealing log-in details and information such as email and online payment accounts. Illicit access to this information translates to a wide range of online crime opportunities, from further spam and phishing attempts (employing a business’s list of followers) to online blackmail and extortion. Spammers are also using shortened URLs to trick Twitter users into clicking on websites that turn out to be malicious. Since it’s difficult to gauge what a shortened URL actually is or its legitimacy, more and more spammers are using them as part of their attacks. For SMEs whose staff have access to and who use Facebook at the office, a bit of vigilance is recommended. In a Facebook phishing scam detected recently, hackers stole many usernames and passwords by directing users to