Social engineering, when cybercriminals trick you into clicking on a harmful link, is nothing new. But social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are the perfect environment for such trickery.

"People feel like they're surrounded by their friends and it's easy to fool them," said Kevin Haley, director of product management for security software firm Symantec.

This video (embedded after the jump) by Norton from Symantec graphically shows what havoc can result when cybercriminals hijack your friends' social networking accounts. The e-mail looks like it came from a friend, but when the victim clicks on the link directing them to a "hilarious video," malware is downloaded onto the victim's computer that lets a hacker track their every move–and get an up-close look at banking information and other personal data.

See for yourself how it works so you can be better armed against yet another Internet threat. And take a look at our Guide to Online Security for more tips on staying safe online.

(We think this is a useful video, and though we don't endorse Norton, we did include it in our most recent test of security suites. To see how it performed, check our Ratings of security software, available to subscribers.)

–Donna Tapellini

A recent Consumer Reports survey found that of those CR readers who combined their TV, phone, and Internet services under one provider, 85 percent were so satisfied they would do it again.

Overall, fiber optic services received top scores in our latest Ratings of bundled telecom services (available to subscribers). Cable companies ranked around the middle of the pack, with the notable exceptions of Wow, Insight, and Bright House, which rivaled the fiber optic services.

While many telecoms try to lure their customers into bundling all three services under their company's roof with promotions and gifts, beware those "deals"with fishy fine print. This Verizon FiOS ad, for example, promises a year of Internet, TV, and phone service for $90, but locks you into a two-year contract and ups the rate to $110 in the second year.

For more on bundled telecom services, see our report in the February issue of Consumer Reports. Also check our Ratings of TV, Internet, and phone service providers (available to subscribers.)

–Nick K. Mandle

Today's electronics deals, courtesy of The Consumerist:

• Verizon Wireless: Verizon Wireless 802.11g Wireless Router for $6 + free shipping
• Dell Business: Dell E2210H 21.5-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor $152 Shipped
• Amazon:  Apple Cinema 30-inch HD Flat-Panel Display $1,697 + free shipping
• Lenovo:  Lenovo G560 15.6-inch Intel Core i3 Laptop $649 + free shipping
• Dell : Iomega 1TB External Hard Drive for $79.99 w/ Coupon FWG$DPJW56FZ4T w/ Free Shipping
• SuperBiiz.com: Western Digital Scorpio Blue 250GB Internal Laptop Hard Drive (compatible w/ Xbox 360) $44.55 Free Shipping

• Newegg: Sceptre X400BV-FHD 40 inch LCD HDTV (1080p) $499.99 Free Shipping
• Amazon: LG 32LH30 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV $379.99 + free shipping
• Amazon: Sony Webbie MHS-PM1 HD Camcorder $98.50 + free shipping
• iTunes Music Store: Sentinel: Mars Defense for iPhone downloads for free

Related: TV Ratings and buying tips; Computer Ratings and buying tips; Computer backup guide; Camcorder Ratings and buying tips.

Neither Consumer Reports nor The Consumerist receive anything in
exchange for featuring these deals; the posts are intended to be purely
informational. These deals are often fleeting, with prices changing or
products becoming unavailable as the day progresses.

These posts are not an endorsement of the featured products or
the Web sites that sell them—though some of the sites may be included,
and recommended, in our Ratings of retailers for computers and other major electronics (both available to subscribers). Price shouldn't be your only criterion. Be wary of lower-priced deals that seem too good to be true, and check return policies for restocking fees and other gotchas.

For general buying advice for many of the products on sale above, check out our free Buying Guides.

Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Gets Green Light (InformationWeek)

The most notable part of the pact will see Yahoo effectively outsource search on its Web sites to Microsoft's Bing search engine. Still, Yahoo officials insisted their company isn't abandoning search for good and will continue to invest in the technology.

Google slapped with class-action lawsuit over Buzz (ComputerWorld)

Eva Hibnick, a resident of Sarasota County, Fla., filed the suit in a San Jose, Calif., federal court on behalf of herself and the approximately 31 million U.S. users of Google's popular Gmail e-mail service. The lawsuit alleges that Google violated federal privacy and computer fraud laws by adding Buzz to the Gmail service last week.

First AT&T Android cellphone on the way (USA Today)

AT&T is the latest wireless carrier to embrace Google's Android operating system. On March 7, AT&T will start selling the new Motorola Backflip smartphone…You can access more than 20,000 apps through Android Market. AT&T says this is the first of five Android handsets the carrier expects to bring out this year.

Social Networking Now More Popular on Mobile than Desktop (ReadWriteWeb)

A recent study from Ruder Finn revealed that Americans are spending nearly three hours per day on their mobile phones…[P]erhaps the most interesting finding from the new data is the fact that more people are using the mobile web to socialize (91%) compared to the 79% of desktop users who do the same. It appears that the mobile phone is actually a better platform for social networking than the PC.

TechBytes: HBO Goes Online (ABC News)

The premium cable channel HBO is now online. It is offering its movies and TV shows to subscribers through the new Web site hbogo.com. The service offers more than 600 hours of programming and is available starting today for Verizon FiOS video and Internet customers. The site will eventually expand to other cable companies. Comcast unveiled a similar service for its subscribers in December.

Lighter side: Onion Sports Guide to Team USA (The Onion)

[Nick Mandle filling in.]

Source: PleaseRobMe.com

The creators of PleaseRobMe.com don't want your house to be burglarized, they swear.  But they do want to make a point.

While Web sites like Twitter and mobile apps like Foursquare (which has users "check-in" to places they visit so friends can know their whereabouts) are revolutionizing communication, PleaseRobMe.com notes the hazard of sharing too much information. To send home the point, the site reposts Twitter updates from users who explicitly note that they're away from the house.

The creators explain:

The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it
leaves one place you're definitely not… home. So here we are; on one
end we're leaving lights on when we're going on a holiday, and on the
other we're telling everybody on the internet we're not home.

The goal of this website is to raise some awareness on this issue and
have people think about how they use services like Foursquare,
Brightkite, Google Buzz etc.

What do you think: Is PleaseRobMe highlighting an important social-networking risk, or it compounding the risk by aggregating "all those empty homes out there"?

—Nick K. Mandle