SiliconBeat

This week it seems there’s plenty of evidence that at least some of us have big targets on our backs, when it comes to Internet security and identity theft.

First came the report from security software-maker McAfee that searching for photos of actress Jessica Biel can lead to all kinds of malware getting on our PCs. (Who knew?) Then we heard a report from rival security company AVG that suggests we’re far too trusting of our social networking “friends.”

AVG says a survey of 250 consumers found that a majority are prone to such bad habits as “infrequently or never” changing their passwords for social networking sites, and almost as infrequently adjusting their privacy settings — which can keep complete strangers (or your boss!) from seeing information that you really should reserve to your closest friends.

Add to that another bulletin suggesting that social-networking sites are “a literal gold mine” for phishers seeking information — like date of birth, home town or pets’ names — that could be used for identity theft. That one came to us from IdentityTruth, a company that promises to help monitor for signs of identity theft and post fraud alerts with credit reporting agencies.

Consumer advocates warn that many credit monitoring services are pretty much offering to do something you can do yourself for free. And of course all these companies have a vested interest in making us aware of Internet dangers. But still, you’d think people would learn to be more careful …