Are military personnel vulnerable on social media sites?

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 08:09:42 -0400

There have been numerous reports of military and/or govt workers solicited on social media sites. What are your thoughts?

We've all had OPSEC beaten into our brains... are we vunerable?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3191733/Foreign-spies-LinkedIn-trying-recruit-civil-servants-befriending-stealing-British-secrets.html

Foreign spies on LinkedIn

MI5 have warned that ‘hostile intelligence services’ are clandestinely targeting Government employees through the popular online CV website.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Aug 17 at 2015 8:11 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 08:11:11 -0400

You are as vulnerable as you make yourself. We all been through the classes, now it's time to actually take what was presented and us the information.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 17 at 2015 8:13 AM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 08:13:44 -0400

Yes. Young people don't understand the consequences of what they post.

Response by SGT Robert Pennington made Aug 17 at 2015 8:18 AM

SGT Robert Pennington — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 08:18:28 -0400

I've thought a lot about this in terms of even Rally Point.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 9:59 AM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 09:59:14 -0400

Unequivocally yes.

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Aug 17 at 2015 2:25 PM

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 14:25:10 -0400

Yes. Even if you take all of the precautions with your site, and someone you may have "upset" hacks into your site, posting some "questionable" things; you will be tried and hanged in a matter of seconds by the media judge jury and executioner, to include the release of your address, wife and kids names, where your wife works, your unit assigned and notifications to your 1Sgt (I kid you not, it always seems that if you mention a unit, SOMEBODY always knows the 1Sgt), and you are clueless until you show up to work the next morning wondering why you are getting your butt chewed. This is one I see played out a lot on FB... Sad, really...

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 10:26 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 22:26:40 -0400

Our vulnerability goes far past what your privacy settings on Facebook and other sites are. I guarantee you that anything put on any sort of Internet website can be immediately compromised. Any messages you send through FB Messenger or any other private internet based chat service can be read by getting through the simple security measures these companies put up. Further, one of the basic functions of an enemy electronic intelligence analyst is to chart connection paths. Facebook is your worse enemy here. In an effort to spare you from making a bunch of usernames and passwords, most apps and games have the option to link to a social media site and use that login to get into the game. That means they don't have to hack into Facebook. They can just get in through the peripheral login. If your phone is linked to Facebook, everything on your phone can be compromised. It's nothing to install a key-stroke recording program on the phone and hide the memory it's taking up as something that is a part of the normal processing programs that helps a smartphone run. If ypu have a banking app on that smart phone, things get easier for targeted because most people don't take out their checks all in cash when they get paid. This leaves a pattern of life study that can be built from your card swipes. If you have a joint account, this can also hint at your business partners' and loved ones' patterns of life also. On all social media sites, it is mandatory to have an email address on file. Sometimes you can hide it from public view, but not hackers. They can map to your electronic devices through email login geotags also. It makes no difference if it's a wifi connection or hardwire.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 3:34 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 03:34:48 -0400

Social media has evolved very quickly that it is difficult to keep up with both work and personal/family security in addition to the issues of public image and etiquette. It is now a required (and probably the most effective) media for advertising and public affairs. The invention of SM is as significant as the telephone, radio, TV and even the internet itself. I admit I have gotten bitten by the social media bug for both this site and Facebook; however, in addition to keeping privacy settings high, most importantly, I ask myself, if your post made the front page of the New York Times, would you be comfortable with that and not compromise safety and security of your unit, your family and yourself.

However, the challenges remain. Even when you are cognizant of these things, its getting harder to draw the line of whats safe and whats not. Anything you put out on line can get copied; even if you remove it people can copy and pass it on beforehand. The internet reaches everywhere and the bad guys can piece seemingly harmless information from various places around the internet that can be make it not so harmless. That kind of thing is a real challenge; everyone needs training and education on these kind of things, not just the cyber-warriors.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 8:50 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 08:50:54 -0400

WE NEED TO STAY AWAY FROM IT. From PV1 to the chief of staff.

Response by MSgt Neil Greenfield made Jan 24 at 2018 8:10 AM

MSgt Neil Greenfield — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 08:10:18 -0500

Yes, and it’s called “social engineering”. There are fake accounts on all sites. Linkedin is one such site. I’ve received a lot of connect requests from all over the world. I now only accept requests from people I know or have been refferrd to me. A lot of people scavenge around on LinkedIn and try to contact you to give up information, and other such sites do the same thing.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2018 3:36 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:36:13 -0500

LTC Private RallyPoint Member yes, Sir. We are always a target even if we are not on social media. We are a target sometimes just being a Westerner or an American. Heck we are a target just for marketing to buy items.

Response by SPC Sheila Lewis made Jan 25 at 2018 10:21 AM

SPC Sheila Lewis — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 10:21:30 -0500

you bet!

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2018 7:36 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 07:36:42 -0400

There's a reason most of my profile on here is blank except for my photo and date of rank.

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Oct 16 at 2018 12:18 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 12:18:34 -0400

The obvious answer is yes-