KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- "It is an arms race and it is difficult and it definitely keeps us busy, keeps us on our toes."

Bill Dean of Sword & Shield Security says the problem is continuing to use Social Security numbers in a way we're all used to.

"Social Security numbers were never intended to be a method of authentication, just a method of identification," Dean told WVLT.

But many on-line sites require your Social Security number. And according to Dean, hackers are becoming more and more clever, making all of us potential targets.

"Typically the numbers they want you to disclose are your last four digits of your social security number which are the easiest ones to determine by process of elimination."

"I think that in the long run, the Social Security Administration's going to have to do something about this because it's just not a secure code," said Richard Rackley, President of Fountainhead College of Technology.

At Fountainhead, they're teaching the next generation of cyber police, which is facing a new enemy. Predators of social networking sites.

A lot of people have Facebook and MySpace pages. But there are real security dangers here, experts say. First, make sure only your friends can access your home page. And never post information like your birthday, address and whereabouts.

Dean said "Well you've just given someone the opportunity to visit your house if they want to rob you."

"Why do people want to put that information out there anyway. I mean I guess most people want to have a happy birthday wish upon their birthday, but it's really not a secure way to go about it," said Rackley.

Cyber security is high-tech game of cat and mouse, with the good guys winning only some of the time.

"We are constantly watching them but they're ahead of us. We're having to play catch-up with them. They develop and find ways to infiltrate systems and we have to develop and implement mechanisms to save people from that."