Is Social Media a Security Threat?
- October 13, 2011
With social media being such an important tool for businesses today. Many I.T professionals would consider it a security threat. A recent study showed that only 29 percent of I.T professionals believe their companies have adequate protection against security breaches from social media interfering. I.T specialists have been able to find the source of these security breaches and tracking them back to end users downloading apps associated with sites like Facebook. Many of these users aren’t aware that some of these apps actually download malicious software to their work PC’s along with spyware and viruses. Leaving the poor I.T department to clean up the mess logging endless hours fixing the damage caused by these supposed “harmful” apps.
Another cause of malware has come from users clicking on third-party links on social media sites. Facebook has taken safety measure to prevent these. One was partnering with Websense to detect malicious links and warn users about them. Employers could also take their own precautions using an app called MyPageKeeper, which searches for malicious links and notifies users if they appear on a person’s news feed or wall. But for many businesses another security concern comes from their inability to control user postings on social media platforms. With many users keeping their user profiles private from the public view, businesses have the inability to monitor postings and the I.T department fear that confidential information could be leaked via status updates.
With social media today small businesses are faced with a serious issue. Can businesses afford to ban their employees from accessing there profiles? Not to mention the importance of social media as a beneficial tool for marketing. Companies are eliminating Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and even corporate networking sites like LinkedIn and ignoring the value social media has in the business world. These have so much potential and can be an essential tool for viral networking as small businesses have found. But security threats are only part of the problem. Major businesses have come to the conclusion that using these social networking platforms are a liability and counter productive. While small businesses have taken a more subtle approach by resorting to Time Doctor to monitor workers’ actual productivity, rather than blocking these sites altogether. A solution like Time Doctor can help your employees meet business goals and get the best out of social media marketing.
I.T. professionals urge the importance of having a company-wide security policy signed by each user to avoid security breaches. This policy protects the company, as well as stressing the importance of responsible use of office equipment to all employees. But with all the fingers pointed to social media as a security threat, the idea that social networking can be productive and business efficient is still a questionable debate for many businesses and that needs to change.
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