Security Breach Potential from Social Networking Worries Businesses

A new report published by Sophos, a security research firm, raises concern about Facebook's role in doing business, calling the social networking site “the worst offender” in a list of threats to online security, according to Richard Adhikari from TechNewsWorld.

This finding puts businesses who want to capitalize on the power of social networking in an awkward position, and they aren't getting any sympathy from  Facebook's company co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who, according to Adhikari, “recently stated that he thinks the desire for privacy online is fading.”

Adhikari continues, “Like just about everything else, social networking sites are a mix of bad and good elements. Although they can constitute a threat to security, they also provide valuable outlets for business to connect with their customers ... [A]ccording to the Sophos report, over 2009, companies widely adopted social networking techniques such as blogs and social networks like Facebook and MySpace to connect with customers and spread the latest company news or product offerings to the public.”

If businesses don't use social networking sites, they may lose business. As Adkikari puts it, “Social networks have become so woven into the fabric of our lives that many businesses now face a distinct disadvantage if they turn a blind eye to them or forbid staff to access them. 'Not only will your workers circumvent your block  and participate surreptitiously, but also your competitors will sneak an advantage and get closer to your customers,' Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, told TechNewsWorld.” Yet, Adkikari continues, “The number of businesses hit by malware and spam attacks through social networks rose by 70 percent in 2009, the report found. More than 72 percent of businesses believe employees' behavior on social networking sites could endanger security.”

One of the dangers businesses face is the ease with which users can be duped by hackers. As reported by Adkikari, “Sixty-one percent of respondents to a survey Sophos conducted in December 2009 believe that Facebook is the worst security threat of all the social networking sites. More than 72 percent of the respondents to Sophos' survey believe that employees' behavior on social networking sites could endanger the security of their business.” Security breaches where hackers pose as friends and ask for money is one of the most widely used schemes.