And that is its weak point. That is what malware developers and cyber-criminals prey on. You might be (should be) highly suspicious of unsolicited emails from strangers containing links or attachments, but if the link or attachment comes from someone in your social network you are much less likely to have your guard up, and much more likely to fall victim to your own inherent trust.

It is an unfortunate catch-22 that best resource for breaking news and real-time information is also the best attack vector for spreading malware and stealing your identity or money. I am not going to tell you to abandon social networking, but I am going to recommend that you let go of that inherent trust and instead maintain some healthy skepticism even within your social network.

If a Facebook friend who has never sent you a Facebook message or initiated a chat with you suddenly connects with you to share a link about bin Laden, that should raise red flags. Suffice it to say, for the next week or two (at least) just assume that any email, instant message, tweet, Facebook status update, or other image or video link having anything remotely to do with Osama Bin Laden is a malware scam. Just delete it and move on.