As Internet search engines incorporate Twitter and Facebook postings into their results, "spammers and cybercriminals" are among those likely to benefit, USA TODAY writes. It adds that:

 

Links to corrupted websites continue to turn up in search results. And spam messages and infectious postings continue to infest social networks. Combining the two seems likely to tilt the advantage to the bad guys. "This is just going to amplify the bad effects and make it easier for spammers and hackers to get their stuff to the top of search results," says Michael Greene, security analyst at PC Tools.

The problem is already quite serious, as The New York Times writes:

Malicious programs are rampaging through Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, spreading themselves by taking over people's accounts and sending out messages to all of their friends and followers. The result is that people are inadvertently telling their co-workers and loved ones how to raise their I.Q.'s or make money instantly, or urging them to watch an awesome new video in which they star.

It seems that some of the tried-and-true rules apply when it comes to cutting down your chances of falling victim:

— Don't click on links sent to you by anyone you don't know; or, for that matter, by people you do if they look at all suspicious.

— Create passwords that aren't easily guessable.