WIESBADEN, Germany - "I'm not here to make you paranoid; I just want to make you aware."
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That's the message Information Assurance instructor Lori Schlichter impressed upon listeners during Secure Use of Social Networking Sites training in Baumholder and Wiesbaden in early April.
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With U.S. Army Europe having loosened access to such sites as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace, officials are reminding all computer users of the need to be vigilant in safeguarding personal information and computer systems.
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"Understand what you are engaged in doing," said Schlichter, explaining that while social networking occurs all the time - both on and off the computer - "everything you do online is public. ... Bad people may try to take advantage of our vulnerability."
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For military members using social networking sites, Schlichter recommended never showing rank or a uniform in a photograph - restricting photos to only head shots or not at all. Advice for all users - Soldiers, civilians and family members - included never listing personal information such as date of birth, Social Security number or any other data that might be useful to a potential identity thief in profiles.
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"Don't put phone numbers or email addresses in Facebook," said Schlichter, adding that other personally identifying information such as marital status, race, salary, medical and financial data should also not be posted online.
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"Don't let anybody compromise your identity," she said.
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Not only must computer users be cautious when it comes to revealing personal information, they must also be vigilant in maintaining the security of their computer systems - both at home and on the job. That means keeping antivirus and antispyware software up to date (which can be downloaded and used free of charge for Defense Department personnel through Army Knowledge Online), making sure wireless networks are safely password protected and never letting a stranger gain access to one's machine without supervision to help prevent the installation of a keylogging device. "Use your firewall and make sure it's up to date.
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"The Internet has changed the way we communicate ... it's the primary source of news and information for many of us. ... Many have joined social networking sites to keep in touch with a loved one downrange," said Schlichter.
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But with sites such as Facebook having more than 300 million users with an average 130 friends per user, billions of photos, millions of videos and other personal items, users must consider how images, videos and ideas might be used or perceived in the future. With this in mind, Schlicher said, computer operators must always communicate safely, maintain confidentiality, market themselves intelligently, know what others are saying online about him or her and ensure credibility.
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With social networking sites providing an easy source for "information leakage," users must be more careful than ever in limiting access to anything that might be beneficial to a cyber criminal. "You've got to think like a bad guy," said Schlichter, advising people to always consider how even the least obvious piece of information might prove useful to someone with bad intent.
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Never clicking on unknown links, keeping all classified, private and official use only information off the Internet and deleting spam messages are just some of the ways to stay safe online.
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Keeping children safe online
Parents must also teach their children how to be safe online and be aware of the places they are visiting on the Internet. "Make sure your children are protected," she said, explaining that www.Microsoft.com/protect and www.getnetwise.org are good sources of helpful information. "Talk to your kids about what they do online."
People wanting to report unwanted cyber attention, Schlichter said, can visit www.cybertipline.com.
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Full-day Social Networking Sites training classes will be featured May 11 and June 28 at Building 1638 on Wiesbaden Army Airfield for U.S. Army Europe employees. Other upcoming Information Technology Training Program classes in Wiesbaden include Project Management Tools and Concepts May 3-7, Office 2007 and Sharepoint Integration May 24-26, Vista and Office Upgrade June 14-15, Telephone Control Office class May 10, a Technical I Information Assurance A+ class May 17-21 and Network+ class June 7-11. To sign up access your AE-ITT account at https://itt.eur.army.mil and search for the classes using the "Find New Classes" link in Wiesbaden.
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