We Know Where You Live…

By Guy Bunker | September 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

Guy Bunker

… And, you’re not at home. There was a recent article in the US about burglars targeting houses based on social network entries. The problem of Facebook updates being used for more nefarious purposes has been written about before, but it is worth mentioning again.

There are now a number of new technologies which are useful for the individual… and unfortunately for the cyber-criminal. The first one is GPS based co-ordinates in photos… great idea, you can tell exactly where you were when the picture was taken. Unfortunately, while you might not advertise your address on your social networking site, if you have a picture with embedded co-ordinates, it is now as good as the address. The second is having geo-location on your mobile device reporting where you are… again, useful for your friends to know you are now at work (and standing next to the coffee machine), but also good for the cyber-criminals to know you are not at home! (And they know where your home is, as that is the location your phone is reporting most nights…)

As with all technology, it has it’s advantages – but you also need to be aware of the risks that are associated with them should the information fall into the wrong hands. Now is a good time to talk to employees, co-workers, spouses and children as to some of the risks and how to mitigate against them. Don’t post pictures with co-ordinates in them, especially not with the caption “Here I am at home…”, and perhaps broadcasting your every footstep to the world is not ideal… think twice about signing up for a service which publishes that information online.

Guy Bunker