Can Your Myspace Templates Encourage Phishing?

If you haven't notice having a dull myspace is very boring, so many users will instantly go on to google and search for sites that offer them myspace templates for free. Many users can find a template that fits their style quickly because theres so many of them. Out of many only a small percentage actually know how a myspace template works.

Most myspace templates use a code called "Cascading Style Sheets" or "CSS" for short. CSS will mainly give the color and the look to the template itself. Many websites use CSS because its an easy to change, and easy to update any part of the site from it. In simple words myspace templates use CSS to place a "cover" or a "Skin" over it.

Your Myspace, and Your HTML Toys.

You probaly have added some little gadgets on your profile, every once in awhile. Html works the same way as CSS, html can change the look and behavior of your Myspace. HTML is a very popular web language for people who are begining to design websites, and source codes, the reason is that it is so easy to learn and very easy and convenient to use. If you have ever used Freewebs, or Synthasite, you used HTML. If you just post a pic on tinypic or photobucket and then embedded into your profile, you now have used HTML. You should now be able see how easy HTML is used and how often it is used.

How The Templates Turn Evil!

We've covered what the code is, and how the designers use it. Many people won't be able to realize how underneath the skin is a code waiting to steal yours or your friends' email and password. We are not talking about a virus this time, but rather a code that makes your profile act to the designers wants. Most of the time they set it up when someone clicks on your blog, or your music, or even your pictures, it brings them to a fake site that tricks them into thinking that the session have timed out. This site will look exactly like Myspace, but it is not. The person will assume that they need to login again, and so they will, after the fake myspace takes your information, they'll redirect you back to myspace, and most people won't even know what just happened.

Why Phish?

The same reason why hackers steal people's bank acocunt information. They do it for money. I've notice that people who got hacked either have ads on their profile, post bulletins on an ad, or comment and message their friends about the ad. This may not only work for ads, this may be a good way to spread malware around the social networking site of Myspace.

What if this happened to me?

Many people are phsihed everyday, You should always at least change your email and your password. If you use the same password for everysite you need to change that password as well. What some phishers do is they try the same information on other sites because they know that one third of all users use the same password for every site they join. If this was a banking site, contact your bank and have them change your account number and your credit card number.Avoiding Being Phished.

The best way is to look in the url box, usually it is off by a few letters or by a lot. For example, http://www.myspace.com is not the same as http://www.myspce.com. Always look at the domain name. Also make sure your system is clear of viruses, most malware will redirect myspace.com to myspce.com so use some anti-virus or some type of malware remover. I recommend Spybot Search and Destroy.