Dateline NBC’s MySpace Expose’

Dateline had a really good program on the MySpace safety issues and how easily teens give up the simplest of information that can be used by predators to locate victims and provide topics of conversation that can easily dupe a victim into believing that they share a bond with an online predator.

My only criticism is that the pages they singled out were relatively innocuous- and they could have really found worst examples. but in a way, even the most innocuous is a great example at the amount of personal exposure teens risk on MySpace.

See the Dateline Story Here:

MIDDLETOWN, CONN. – He says his name is Matt it s not. He says he s new to town he s not. And he says he s 19 not even close.

But that s how he portrays himself to the kids befriending him online on the social networking site, MySpace.com.

Would your child let a stranger into his or her online world?

The fictitious cyber teen known as Matt was created as an experiment and his instant popularity revealed to one small town just how vulnerable its children are.

You really have to see the videos too.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. And Part 4.

One of the newest items that came to my attention with this report that I had not previously considered (and I should have with my security background) were the stupid questionnaires that float around on MySpace like ignorant chain letters. In this report, the detective speaks about a 377 item questionnaire that a 15 year old girl filled out detailing all of her personal preferences from shampoo to after school activities, to religious affiliation. This from the same girl who would never answer this many questions in science class! Hell, I don’t even think the dreaded Myers-Briggs Test has this many stupid questions.

Anyways, these questionnaires, which I have always ignored, can really help an online predator perform social engineering on its victims. Once a predator knows the details of a potential victim, he can lure the victim much more easily, and can easily gain the confidence of the victim. It makes me wonder how many of these questionnaires were actually authored by online predators?

Here is my own questionnaire-

• Is your family rich or poor?
• If rich, do both parents work?
• What times do they work?
• Do they ever come home unexpectedly?
• Do they keep jewelry in the house?
• Do they keep cash in the house?
• Do they have firearms?
• Are you trained in the safe handling of firearms?
• Do the parents have a safe or other hiding place for valuables?
• Do you have a dog, and does it bite?
• What is the combination to the safe?
• What is the disarm code for your security system?
• Do you have a hide-a-key for emergency entry to your home?
• Where do you keep it?
• Take your house key and trace its outline. Mail it to this address.