A new report from Internet security firm Webroot sheds some light on the behavior and awareness of social network users regarding security and privacy. The survey found that the majority of users of social networks like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Twitter, 78 percent, were concerned about the privacy of their profiles yet their actions showed the contrary.

The study was conducted for 1,100 members of popular social networks and the results were worrying. While most of the respondents were worried about their privacy, 80 percent of them made their profile available publicly and a full 66 percent disclosed all their profile information. However, most of those asked, 59 percent, didn't know who could see their profile.

Even more potentially dangerous behavior was exhibited, as 32 percent of those surveyed made at least three personal identifiable pieces of information available and 36 percent used the same password across several sites. A further 28 percent accepted friend requests from total strangers.

The study also found that younger people tended to disclose more information, as 51 percent of those aged 18 to 29 used the same password across several sites, versus 36 percent overall, and were more likely to share personal information – 40 percent of them compared to 28 percent overall. This also led to those in the younger age group being more susceptible to attacks, with 40 percent of them having experienced one, versus 30 percent overall.

“The amount of time spent on communities like Facebook last year grew at three times the rate of overall internet growth," said Mike Kronenberg, chief technology officer of Webroot's consumer business, who presented hackers with a huge target. "Three in 10 people we polled experienced a security attack through a social network in the past year, including identity theft, malware infection, spam, unauthorised password changes and 'friend in distress' money-stealing scams."