Study: Social networks a new haven for cybercrime

MANILA, Philippines -- Social networking sites are becoming more and more prone to online attacks as users continue to grow by the day.

According to the Norton Cybercrime Report 2012, a new cybercrime trend  is emerging,  targeting social networks.

One in five online adults (21 percent) has reported of becoming a victim of either social or mobile cybercrime and 39 percent of social network users have been victims of profile hacking, scam or fake link.

The study also  found  consumers' behavior changing  as Norton tagged social media as one of the most popular online activities these days.

Norton said the change is brought about by the popularity of social networking sites as they offer "ease of information sharing."

In 2011,  Filipinos using the Internet number to about 33.6 million people, representing an Internet penetration rate of 33 percent.  In 2016, the penetration rate is expected to rise to 59 percent.