Twitter, Facebook attacks: low tech yet very effective

This week's uptick in low-tech social engineering and phishing scams on Facebook, Twitter and other popular sites proves a point: old methods of stealing sensitive personal information still work.
What makes the attacks so dangerous is they're easy to create and post on social media sites. And they're effective. Often, they exploit users who are juggling multiple social media sites they trust. When those users receive a direct message from a friend or follower, they assume it is legit.
"I was getting messages from people asking me why I had sent them this strange e-mail with a bizarre link," says Diana Iles-Parker, a San Francisco-based marketing consultant for documentaries. On Thursday, e-mail sent from her Facebook account to her friends appeared to be a phishing scam. Besides being unsettling, the faux messages could undermine relationships with new Facebook friends, Parker says.
"What a bummer. I'm trying to build these relationships on Facebook, and this happens," Parker says.
Simple phishing scams can be avoided. Symantec suggests taking these precautions.
By Jon SwartzPhoto: A Twitter staffer ponders a problem at the company's San Francisco headquarters. (Jessica B. Lifland for USA TODAY)