Operational Security Research Paper

All this information that we naively post online can affect our personal life. Even though, Social networking sites do not pose much of a threat on physical security, but they can pose serious effects on information and operational security. Any personal information that is posted on social media networks can aid identity thieves. Many financial institutions use security questions such as date of birth, mother’s maiden name, and pets’ names, which are commonly posted by users on these social networks. Identity thieves also use illegitimate third-party applications and false connection requests to gain personal information. These applications may be in the form of games, quizzes, and questionnaires that are designed to provide assistance with

Uploading a single photo to a social media network can pinpoint the location of troops to a geographical location, due to the built-in global positioning system GPS which is built in nearly every smart phone. The GPS stores the location as metadata on the image, which allows for geotagging to occur. Steve Warren, deputy G2 of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence cites a one example from 2007 When a new fleet of helicopters arrived with an aviation unit at a base in Iraq, some Soldiers took pictures on the flightline, he said. From the photos that were uploaded to the Internet, the enemy was able to determine the exact location of the helicopters inside the compound and conduct a mortar attack, destroying four of the AH-64 Apaches. (Rodewig, 2011) Not all information that is leaked to social networking sites will have negative impacts on a military mission, but some may greatly affect one’s personal privacy. Users on Facebook are able to determine privacy guidelines for the information they post, but not everyone knows how to do this. Many people have lost jobs and careers over what they have posted on social networking sites, thinking that the information was