We’ve all seen the results of a hacked myspace account, they come in many forms but the cause is usually the result of a phished or “acquired” password. Here are a few security tips that should help you not become one of the many hacked myspace users.

Don’t use your standard password.

Don’t use the same password on myspace as you do with your banking or other important accounts.Odds are pretty good that someone will steal your myspace password. Reduce your exposure to this threat by using a password that you only use on myspace. That way if a hacker does steal your myspace password, they will only gain access to your myspace information and not your online banking or other critical accounts.

Never give your myspace password to any site other then myspace.

You wouldn’t give your bank account and ATM PIN to anyone other than your bank, right? Its a bit of an extreme example, but you get thepoint. There is no legitimate reason for anyone but myspace to ask for this information. Please, use common sense. I’ve found several sites that will either “pimp” your myspace profile or offer some other myspace related tool, all you need to do is give them your account and password. Don’t do it!

If your account does get hacked.

Your profile could be hacked right now and you may not even know it. It is sometimes difficult to know you have been hacked, hackers will most likely cover their tracks and do their best to not interrupt your normal myspace activity. If you notice a friend is posting comments or bullitens that are out of character for them or are blatant SPAM, please inform them ASAP. Another dead giveaway that a profile has been hacked is the fact that when you visit a profile and try to use the home link at the top of their profile and it does not take you to the myspace home page.

Step 1: CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD. Yes, it is just that simple to thwart a hacker. Again, be sure to use a password that you ONLY use on myspace. DO NOT use the same password you use anywhere else.

Step 2: Review your profile for any code that you didn’t put there. Many hackers will add code to your profile that will redirect your visitors to their site or worse, attempt to install spyware or virus software. The task of finding and removing the hacker added codes may be difficult as many myspace users have rather complicated profiles and little understanding of HTML or CSS. One tip that will help is to keep a copy of the your “about me” section as this is usually the source of any code the hacker may have placed into your profile. Its also a good idea to keep a copy of the other sections of your profile. The easiest way to do this is to use notepad(any other text editor) and copy your myspace about me and other sections to separate text files saved onto your hard drive.

Related Links:
MySpace Adds a Security Monitor
PROTECT YOUR MySpace IDENTITY
Why is my Profile page suddenly messed up?