63% of Businesses Fear That Social Networking Endangers their Corporate Security
Social networks are becoming a default way for many employees to stay in touch with friends, colleagues, and business associates, but according to a new poll by the anti-virus firm Sophos, 63% of system administrators worry that employees who share too much personal information on social networking sites will put their company's IT infrastructure at risk. A quarter of these businesses also report that they have been the victim of spam, phishing, and malware attacks via sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace.
According to Sophos, many businesses are still worried about lost productivity when it comes to using social networks in the workplace, but a lot of these businesses now also worry about cybercrime in relation to these networks.
Of course, it is important to remember that Sophos is a security firm and has an interest in stressing these security risks.Though, the sentiment among system administrators is that this somewhat unscientific poll seems to be on par with what we have seen from similar reports.
Malware, Data Leakage, Lost Productivity
According to Sophos, around 40% to 50% of all businesses don't control access to Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, while a slightly larger group of enterprises allow their users to use the more business-oriented LinkedIn. Those who control access cite lost productivity as the main reason more clamping down on social network usage at work, while about 12% to 17% cite a fear of malware and data leakage.
Interestingly, about 7% of respondents had no idea why they were controlling access to these sites. Similarly, around a quarter of all respondents couldn't say if they or their colleagues had ever been spammed on a social networking site, or if they had been the victim of a malware or phishing attack.
Even though businesses are afraid of social networks, Sophos advises against totally blocking off access as users will inevitably find ways around these blocks which will just create new security issues.
We would agree with this, but we would also point out that a lot of these scams and malware attacks still arrive by email. There are a number of legitimate business uses for social networks, as long as they don't include wiring large amounts of your company's money to a poor widow in Nigeria who needs help with a large wire transfer.
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SOcial networking is dangerous! I love my boss!
businesses have a right to fear for their corporate security when they let their employees use social site like facebook and twitter. hackers and spammers are really targeting these sites. employers should definitely take precautions. i did some research, here is some good information on justaskgemalto.com that has pretty good information and preventative measures that companies can take.
Something rather fascinating about this whole problem. The popularity of social networks is probably driven in no small part by people's being isolated at work. The arbitrary boundary between "work time" and the rest of life (even including professional development for business) doesn't work for most people. So, while stuck behind the desk, sometimes twiddling our thumbs, we Tweet and Facebook, etc. - and "look busy."
The other issue here is business' desire to minimise the risk of having commercially sensitive information released. Controlling the vectors through which that information might be leaked is seen as one way to mitigate that risk.
Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home.
The better approach might arguably be to understand social media and develop a staff policy on its use within the work context. The "education carrot" will likely be more successful - and get staff buy-in to the policy - than the "confiscation stick"
Posted by: drumnet.myopenid.com
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April 28, 2009 3:51 PM
Beside the security awarness it can be some financial losses. Lots of employees are spending (including me) the job hours keeping in touch with friends on boss money :))
Simply assuming that allowing appropriate social networking in the workplace is a security risk is fear of the unknown. I work with my clients on understanding the measurable business benefits and helping them craft and implement appropriate policies and work practices to permit this activity.
Done right, allowing social networks in the workplace can be of considerable benefit. Done badly it can be a problem. But so can phones, email, faxes and the like.
This is not a new problem, and to believe it is suggests that perhaps some haven't thought about it enough.
I think that the social networking and social media sites are becoming such an inevitably intertwined part of our communication that companies need to spend their time figuring out how to harness the power of it. Harness is probably the wrong word though, they need to allow the power to flow through their employees and reward their employees for participating in ways that build their brands, their culture, and everything.
Fighting it will make it worse.
Great article with good facts! Social networking must become the 21st century way to do business, and related security parameters will improve as technology and need surmises.
Mark Richards
SOHBET
The problems plaguing social network security and privacy issues, for now, can only be resolved if users take a more careful approach to what they share and how much. With the growth of social networks, it's becoming harder to effectively monitor and protect site users and their activity because the tasks of security programmers becomes increasingly spread out.
Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home.
Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home.
Beside the security awarness it can be some financial losses. Lots of employees are spending (including me) the job hours keeping in touch with friends on boss money
Great article with good facts! Social networking must become the 21st century way to do business, and related security parameters will improve as technology and need surmises.
Mark Richards
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Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home
Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home.
website
Whether or not this is actually effective may be debatable since an employee can just as easily send an email or pick up the phone - even release that same information from home.
Done right, allowing social networks in the workplace can be of considerable benefit. Done badly it can be a problem. But so can phones, email, faxes and the like.
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