1. Recommendations on the future of online GyroScope & Databse implementation

2. There have been proponents these past several years who suggest putting everything Gyro on a Social Network application – that soon, we could eliminate the GyroScope, go online with the Database & communicate with unbridled ease!

3. Putting the Gyro Database on a Social Network … consider …

4. Should Gyro, as has been suggested, take a modern approach and place the Database on a Social Network such as Facebook & LinkedIn to ease communicating amongst members and attract new members? Facebook … LinkedIn ?

5. 2008 a D-IX Governor found a link to Gyro on Facebook. It was discussed whether exploiting this link would be beneficial to Gyro. The BOG (then) determined the unknown risks were too great! Facebook … LinkedIn ?

6. Social Networks – Reality Cyberthieves have now shifted their focus to social networks. Instead of attacking firewalls head on, they are breaching sites using social engineering, convincing someone that an email is from a friend or colleague.

7. A Primer on Phishing 101 They rely on Phishing -- an attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

8. A phisher emails a potential victim claiming to be from a familiar source.

9. The message contains a question or threat and urges the victim to go to the company site.

10. The victim clicks a link and is taken to a site that looks real – like a bank’s – but it’s a fake.

11. The victim enters sensitive data such as account numbers and passwords into the site.

12. The phisher uses the data to access a corporate or bank network for identity theft or to steal money.

13. Facebook has a bug called Koobface that takes over your account. It is currently accessing or infecting 1,000,000 accounts every day! What’s happening today?

14. Two groups of bad guys … 1. The “Black-hackers” who after money or information they can sell. 2. The “Hacktivists” who are not thieves, but malicious idealists who cause havoc, just because they can. At this point no one is truly safe. The Perpetrators

15. Having our own private Database gives us far less exposure. Being a slightly larger entity on a Social Network is a porthole to problems … invites the challenge to “break in.”

16. Black Hackers are adapting social networks to establish an evil ecosystem while exploiting its vulnerabilities to steal data & money …their toolkit includes social engineering techniques to have you cough up passwords under the guise of friendship..

17. Protecting yourself … Hacking your password gets much harder if you follow these tips: The longer the password the better. Mix upper & lower case letters. Use numbers and special symbols. i.e. PASSword8!

18. Social Networks … Are a boon to promote good things: like family photo-albums & family communications. They are a means to promote business networking. Communication among friends.

19. Social Networks … Unfortunately, they also lend themselves to a middle-school mentality of … bullying, exhibitionism, degradation, threats, and even murder. Not the least, stealing for money, or hacking just for the fun of it!!

20. What to do? I would urge you to discount any such approach to the future. Be aware that the web not only doubles in speed every 18 months, it is an ever changing monolith, that will not be the same two years hence, & security is losing ground faster!