Over the last couple of days, there's been quite the Twitter scare on the interwebs.  It started with direct messages and address spoofing, leading to a sensible Twitter reminder about giving out secret information.  Then, in seemingly unrelated attacks, some high-profile accounts were hacked, which just added to the paranoia and excitement of the whole situation.

So some accounts (mostly celebrities) were forcibly compromised, but most of the civilian casualties were caused by too much trust.  And in this new ...thing, this new social web we live in, there is plenty of trust to go around.  The memory of the internet is short, but have we already forgotten the Age of Viruses & Scams?  In this new Age of Sharing & Utility, there's no shortage of add-on's, such as TwitPic, that require your password to work.  But there's no real security in place for users, so you can only really go on one thing: trust.

2009 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac calendar.  According to Wikipedia, for those born under the Ox, "security is their main preoccupation in life" (which would be newborns this year and anyone aged 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, and 108).  Some other traits we can expect out of 2009 and it's Oxen:

• "It is important to remember that the Ox people are sociable and relaxed when they feel secure..."

(This is a caution to all of us white hats in 2009: be not complacent.)

• "Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint."

(Ominous of potential black hats.)

So let us continue to rejoice in our social optimism throughout 2009.  Stay bright, stay honest, but remember to continue diligence, thoughtfulness, and caution.