Social networking – the good, the bad, and the ugly

Social networking is no longer just a term in the urban dictionary but a way of life. Sites like Facebook and Twitter connect millions of users around the globe, breaking down traditional geographical barriers with the aid of the Internet. In Singapore, approximately half the population are Facebook users. Singapore also boasts the fourth largest Twitter population in Asia with approximately 2.1 million users.

Organizations too have come to realize the value of social media with many companies jumping on the social media wagon.

Not the Real McCoy
However, despite the benefits that social media offer businesses, there is a downside – the increased risk of having a company’s IT system infiltrated by web-based viruses and spyware.

When a user accesses a compromised social media website hosting a seemingly harmless link or video, spyware hosted on site can be activated to lure users to fake websites that trick them into divulging personal details and passwords.

How to handle social media security risks
Companies will continue to leverage on social networking sites as a business tool to communicate with their clients and to build their brands. Similarly, cybercriminals will continue with their relentless attempts to hack into users’ accounts to phish for information, send spam or carry out other malicious activities.

However, there are steps that companies can take to protect themselves from social networking threats. The weapon of choice for many companies when combating web threats is a hosted web security service. A Hosted Web Security and Content Filtering service operates at the Internet level to intercept viruses, spyware and other web-borne threats before they enter your network, including those that enter from social media sites. The greatest benefit of this service is that it does not require hardware implementation, regular maintenance or security upgrades.

All users’ web traffic requests – made within and outside the corporate network – are made to pass through the Hosted Web Security and Content Filtering service platform which should be hosted in secure data centers worldwide. Each request is checked against a company’s acceptable-use policy to determine if access should be given. If a request is allowed to pass, the relevant web page or file download is scanned for viruses and spyware. Thereafter if a virus of spyware is identified, access to the web page is denied.

Bjorn Engelhardt
Vice President
Symantec Hosted Services, Asia Pacific & Japan
www.messagelabs.com.sg