The New York Times, as well as other sources, recently carried an article about a vast number of Facebook user accounts being sold on an underground hacker forum. According to researchers at VeriSign iDefense, a hacker going by the name Kirllos had 1.5 million user names and passwords for sale on an online fraud forum, with prices ranging from US $25 to $45 per 1,000 accounts (with the value rising according to the number of Facebook friends each user has.) The researchers estimate that Kirllos has sold the details of 700,000 accounts so far.

What’s this mean for you? Facebook has recently been taking the lead as the most visited website in the United States – and is popular all over the globe, with over 400 million users worldwide. This kind of notoriety, though, makes it a prime target for various kinds of online bad behavior. (Take a look at this ChannelInsider article ‘Seven Social Media Security Snafus’ to see a few of the more recent examples of privacy and security blunders that occurred via sites like Facebook and Twitter). Take care out there, and stay alert as you use your favorite social sites; a little caution and awareness can go a long way in staying safe.