Do you tag friends on Facebook?; update your professional profile on LinkedIn?; send out tweets on Twitter? With the countless networking sites available these days, it's almost effortless to stay connected and speak your mind online - whether you're at home, at work, or out and about using your phone. That accessibility and popularity is what has led these services to be prime targets for online miscreants.

This issue of Lavasoft News focuses on social networking communities - the good (ever more people get connected), the bad (ever more opportunities for scammers), and the ugly (ever more news on the badly behaving Koobface worm). We're also sharing with you a first look at our new social community, MyLavasoft; keep reading to find out how you can get involved.

Best regards,
Erin Earley
Editor, Lavasoft News

We want to hear from you! Have a security topic you would like us to cover in the next issue of Lavasoft News? Write to editor@lavasoft.com.

MyLavasoft: Community Done Right
Lavasoft’s Manager of Web Development tells about this new community.

The Perks and Pitfalls of Social Networking
The social webs we weave make it easier for criminals to deceive.

The 5 Essentials for Safe Online Socializing
How to embrace digital communities and keep your privacy intact.

New Targets in Detection
Visit the Lavasoft Malware Labs blog to protect your privacy with new targets for March 2009.

Threat Check
Find out which threats have been creating the most buzz among Ad-Aware users this past month.

Bad Behavior
A badly behaving worm has been making the rounds on social networking sites - find out how to put the kibosh on Koobface.