Mobile numbers, addresses on Facebook 'a security risk'

A security expert has warned that users should remove their home addresses and phone numbers from their Facebook accounts.

Graham Cluley said the website now gives third parties access to that information.

The website said in a blog post at the weekend that it would give developers of applications access to the contact information of users who install their apps.

"These permissions must be explicitly granted to your application by the user via our standard permissions dialogs. Please note that these permissions only provide access to a user's address and mobile phone number, not their friend's addresses or mobile phone numbers," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Facebook's Jeff Bowen as saying.

However, Sophos security expert Cluley, has raised doubts over the move.

"You have to ask yourself - is Facebook putting the safety of its 500+ million users as a top priority with this move?" he said.

"It won't take long for scammers to take advantage of this new facility, to use for their own criminal ends."

Cluley advised that users should take personal info such as home addresses and mobile numbers off their pages.

"You can imagine, for instance, that bad guys could set up a rogue app that collects mobile phone numbers and then uses that information for the purposes of SMS spamming or sells on the data to cold-calling companies," he said.

5 easy steps to pump up your heart

Want to keep your heart healthy? Then you need to know the following.

Holly Andersen, director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has offered some easy steps to improve heart health and overall well-being throughout the year.

Step 1: Know your numbers. Your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are the most important numbers you will need to know before you begin on the path to good heart health.

Step 2: Start walking. Exercise is the fountain of youth. A simple 20- to 30-minute walk a few days a week can actually reduce the risk of premature death by more than 50 percent.

Step 3: Laugh out loud. Laughter really is the best medicine. Just 15 minutes of laughter is about equivalent to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise with respect to our cardiovascular health. Laughter has also been linked to the healthy function of blood vessels, an increase of the brain hormones that improve mood, and reduction of pain and anxiety.

Step 4: Focus on your waistline, not your weight. Your waistline is a better measurement of your overall health than your weight because the amount of fat around your waistline is directly linked to high blood pressure and high cholesterol and can place you at increased risk for diabetes.

Step 5: Get a good night's sleep. Sleep is one of the most undervalued elements of our daily routines, but it is absolutely vital to good health. Lack of sleep increases your blood pressure, induces stress, increases your appetite and slows down your metabolism, dampens your mood and decreases your cognition.

Attackers broke malware records in 2010

Last year saw a record-setting number of new threats appear online. In particular, criminals managed to create one-third of all viruses ever seen, 34 per cent of all malware in existence, and 40 per cent of all known fake AV.

Those findings come from a study released by PandaLabs, the malware research arm of antivirus vendor Panda Security. The firm said it had analyzed 99.4 per cent of the 134 million unique files its systems automatically collected in 2010. Of those files, 60 million were malware -- viruses, worms, Trojans, and other threats.

The report also found that the volume of new malware created -- about 20 million new strains -- remained roughly constant from 2009 to 2010, while the number of new threats overall increased. Between the beginning and end of 2010, according to PandaLabs, "the average number of new threats created every day has risen from 55,000 to 63,000."

While names such as Zeus and Bredolab continue to make headlines -- since they're behind many attacks -- most unique instances of malware appear to be nearly disposable. Indeed, whereas many attacks used to circulate for months before disappearing, Panda found that 52 per cent of new malware in 2010 existed for only 24 hours. According to PandaLabs, "as antiviruses become able to detect new malware, hackers modify them or create new ones so as to evade detection."

Unsurprisingly, given the financial incentive behind many attacks, the most prevalent type of malware in 2010 was the banking Trojan, which comprised 56 per cent of all new malware, followed by those perennial favorites viruses (22 per cent), worms (10 percent), and adware (10 percent). Interestingly, spyware declined from comprising 6 percent of all malware in 2009 to just 0.34 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, roughly 1 percent of threats in 2010 collectively comprised dialers, hacking tools, PUPs (potentially unwanted program), security risks, jokes, or tracking cookies.

Interestingly, Panda found that 53 percent of all computer users experienced a malware infection in 2010, even when using up-to-date antivirus scanners and signatures.

This Week’s Most Explosive Facebook Pages

Another week brings another round-up of pages that are surely on their way to becoming some of the most popular on the social network as they have all shown tremendous weekly growth totals. From international sports to international bands, this list covers ten pages that are surely worth a visit. As always, take a moment to look over all of the top pages on Facebook using our page statistics tool. Check out this week’s list below, and add any additional new favorite pages of your own in the comments section.

• An Australian music collective, Hillsong Live, offers a band page filled with songs from their latest release and more information surrounding the project. Check out video updates from the band, photographs from the road and the studio, and look for their latest tour dates on the official page; 177,233 Facebook users fanned the musical group in the past seven days. Visit Hillsong Live’s official home on the social network here.

  Hillsong Live

• Ayn Rand’s classic novel Atlas Shrugged had an explosive week on Facebook; its official page accrued 165,697 new fans last week. Check out more information about the video contest that occurred on the page last fall as it was a large contributing reason to the increase in traffic. Also, read classic quotes and updates surrounding the novel on the page as it is updated frequently. Fan the official Atlas Shrugged page on Facebook here.

  Atlas Shrugged

• Rock band The Hives post regular updates on their social networking page that make it easy to keep up with the group. Find the latest journal updates, merchandise, contests, and music by visiting the page. The Hives offer fun and interactive updates that often include pictures from the road. The band is still extremely active as is their fan base; 110,089 Facebook users “liked” The Hives last week. Visit the group’s official Facebook page here.

  The Hives

• A staple of many childhoods, Power Rangers, were out to save the world against the various forces of evil. The show was a huge hit in the ’90s, and Facebook users continue to look back by fanning the page. Reminisce about old episodes with fellow fans, look at pictures of the Rangers, and more on the show’s official Facebook page; 103,250 users on the social network became a fan of Power Rangers in the past week. Visit the show’s official home on Facebook here.

  Power Rangers

• Soccer fans from around the globe are keeping up with one of their favorite teams on Facebook; 98,756 users on the social network fanned FC Bayern München’s page in the past seven days. Stay current on the latest news and analysis surrounding the games and the team as it is updated on an almost daily basis, and English is the most common language on the page. Discuss the team with fellow fans, and add some good-natured trash talk about your favorite team. Visit FC Bayern München on Facebook.

  FC Bayern Munchen

• For fans of the sport cricket, be sure to visit the Adidas Cricket page on Facebook. Start your own fantasy cricket team, and play against others on the social network, by “Liking” the popular sport’s site on Facebook. Also, discuss the league with fellow fans and join in on the on-going conversation; 94,017 Facebook users fanned and started building a fantasy team on the Adidas Cricket page last week. Visit the official page on Facebook here.

  Adidas Cricket

• Popular restaurant chain Applebee’s is extremely interactive on their official page on Facebook. Find out how to get virtual gift cards to the chain, check out their under 550 calorie menu, and locate the closest Applebee’s to you on their official Facebook home. They often update the page with posts asking questions in the interest of sparking conversation as well. Join the conversation today; 91,490 Facebook users fanned Applebee’s last week. Visit the chain restaurant on the social network here.

  Applebee’s

• Microsoft was updating live from the Consumer Electronics Show this past week, and the page saw an increase in traffic partially as a result; 83,139 users on the social network fanned the software company in the past seven days. Watch videos, read reviews, and keep up with much of the happenings at CES even if you could not be in attendance. Also, keep up with all the latest news and product updates from Microsoft by fanning the page. Visit the software company on Facebook here.

  Microsoft

• Reality television show The Bachelor has an extremely interactive Facebook location. Play along in a fantasy game version of the show each week, and discuss the outcome of each episode with fellow fans. You will also find video previews of the upcoming episodes, and look for regular updates with news and happenings surrounding The Bachelor. 75,250 Facebook users headed towards the official page as the show premiered just a short while ago. Visit the reality show’s social networking page here.

  The Bachelor

• While Zynga’s Facebook game CityVille continues to see more and more players, fans are also heading towards the official page for the application. The page will keep you current on updates surrounding the game, and feel free to chat and invite other users to the cities you create; 67,823 Facebook users fanned the page and started discuss the ever-popular game CityVille. Visit Zynga’s latest hit on the social network here.

  CityVille

Facebook Makes New Profiles Mandatory

Whether you like Facebook's new profile feature or not, you're going to have to use it from now on.

The world's largest online social network, which recently broke the 600 million member mark, announced Monday that the new profile page format rolled out last month will now be a permanent fixture for all of its users.

"For the month of December, we gave people the option to upgrade to the new profile early, and hundreds of millions of you made the switch," Facebook engineer Philip Rha wrote Monday on The Facebook Blog. "Starting today, we'll be rolling out the new profile to everyone."

Everyone, though, isn't happy with Facebook's move--judging from the comments about Rha's posting. "Don't like it!" Bonnie Coomber, of the Cator Park School for Girls wrote. "Bring back the old one!"

"Get a dislike button," Tomasina McGinnity complained. "Not a new profile."

"Well, this sucks," Filipe Monteiro groused. "Why not maintain it as a voluntary choice?" Monica Baguchinsky Lunn agreed with Monteiro and added: "Everyone I know is complaining. It doesn't matter, tho. The fb gods have made a decision and all us little people don't matter."

The new profile page begins with a quick summary of who a member is and includes a strip of photos in which the member has been tagged. The member's common interests are displayed as thumbnails to make them easier to quickly identify. Members can also highlight important friends on their profile page, as well as see connections with friends--mutual acquaintances, events attended together and shared photos, wall posts and such.

Gigantic snow sculptures at Harbin festival

Workmen put finishing touches

Workmen put the finishing touches to a large snow sculpture at the 12th Harbin Ice and Snow World display in the northern city of Harbin. The ice festival will be officially launched on January 5.