Cisco’s 2009 Security Report: Social Media Users, Be Careful!

Check out the Cisco’s 2009 Annual Security Report!

One of the most interesting observations — which should not be surprising to information security professionals — is that online criminals are successfully exploiting social media and social networks, using people’s willingness to respond to messages that appear to be from others whom they know and trust.

Anyone who has clicked on a Twitter direct message URL that turned out to be tweetspam, that’s at least part of what they mean. When someone who doesn’t usually send you a direct message unexpectedly sends you a vague but inviting message, like, “Check out this funny video!” DON’T CLICK ON IT. Do a search for tweetspam, instead, and see how many thousands of the exact same message have been sent all over the twitterverse.

And once you know it to be tweetspam, tweet a warning to your followers. (Without the spam URL — instead tell them “Don’t click on any DMs that say ‘check out this funny video!’ They’re spam and malware!”

Of course there’s a lot more to the Cisco Security Report. Take a look!

FTC Guides Article in Wisconsin Lawyer

Check out my article in the December 2009 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer: Endorsements, Testimonials, and Bloggers: The New FTC Guides.

This article spends a little more time on advertising endorsement issues in general, not just with regard to bloggers.

Register Now – CLE Webinar on Social Media Challenges for Lawyers and Clients

On January 27, 2010, I’ll be conducting a webinar called Social Media Challenges for Lawyers and Clients. The webinar is through the State Bar of Wisconsin, and will also include Tim Pierce, Ethics Counsel, State Bar of Wisconsin.

Important details: 2 CLE credits, from 11:30 am-1:30 pm, Central time, register through the State Bar. The cost is $125 for members, $145 for non-members, and is free for Ultimate Passholders.

Here’s the agenda:

Can you Twitter your way to a lawsuit?

Are there downsides to using social media? Whether or not your clients have made a strategic choice to create a presence on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or through corporate blogs, they have a social media presence. Their employees are using these tools, at home if not at work. (Your employees are, too!) The question is what are they saying about their work, and how are your clients and their customers responding?

Find out about potential pitfalls in using various forms of social media to communicate with your clients or discuss client-related issues.

You’ll also learn:

• Potential dangers that may lurk in a law firm’s Web site
• What to watch out for to avoid creating problems for yourself and your firm

Companies and organizations need to set policies around how their employees (and volunteers) communicate about work and the workplace via social media venues, and they need to make sure that their employees understand the rules.

Who should attend:

• Any lawyer considering social networking
• Any lawyer representing clients involved in social networking

What you’ll learn:

• Key elements of a good policy and risks associated with bad policies
• Special issues for certain populations: Financial Services, Health Care, Education, Law Practice
• Importance of employee education/training

Liza Speaking at UWM, State Bar of Wisconsin

I’m very excited to report that I’m speaking on a panel next week 11/18, called “Social Media: Thinking for Tomorrow.” The panel is co-sponsored by the UWM Department of Communication and Wired in Wisconsin.

I’m also doing 2 CLE presentations with the State Bar of Wisconsin. The first presentation will be a January 27 webinar titled, “Social Media Use Policies: Why Your Clients Need Them & How to Create Them,” which I’ll be doing with State Bar Ethics Counsel Tim Pierce.

I’ll be reprising a tweaked version of the same program, without Tim Pierce, at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Annual Convention, at 8:45 am on May 6, 2010.

Unfortunately, none of the events seem to be online yet. When I find official links — soon I hope! — I’ll add them here.