What We’re Reading: Scams on Facebook, Big Network Changes

This week we're keeping up with the changes and news related to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Cisco recently released their midyear report which describes various hacking techniques that allow cyber criminals access to an organization's network. Scams on Facebook are reported to be the most commonly observed web-based hacking method, nearly 10x more common than traditional email phishing. The lesson here: be careful what you click!

In other news, Twitter has cracked down on users that steal the intellectual property of other users by copying others' tweets and posting them as their own. Like other social networks, Twitter has a thorough profile and post removal claims system under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Users are able to report posts that suggest copyright infringement as well as impersonations, scams, and other malicious or fraudulent activity.

Google has changed the connectivity of all of its services through Google+: users no longer need to create and activate a Google+ profile to use YouTube, Picasa, or other Google services. In the past, users needed to create a Google+ account to use YouTube and participate in the YouTube community, prohibiting users to remain anonymous if they wanted to be interactive on the website. Now, a user's account on Google doesn't have to be public or followable, and other services don't depend on the creation of a Google+ profile.

Cisco 2015: Midyear Security Report

• The report reveals that scams on Facebook are the #1 way to breach and organization’s network. Cisco reported roughly 10,000 instances of scams on Facebook, 25% more than the next highest attack, JavaScript exploits, and 10x more than traditional email phishing.

Twitter is deleting stolen jokes on copyright grounds

• Twitter responds to freelance writers requests to have stolen jokes removed from the microblogging site. Twitter responds: sure.

Google admits defeat and guts a key part of Google+

• In a dramatic move, Google+ is no longer linked to your YouTube account. Google’s original decision to couple the two services drew intense backlash.