IT Security Threat: Social Networking

Sophos is the latest security software vendor to weigh in on the malware epidemic plaguing social networking sites. In a report released today, Sophos said that 72 percent of more than 500 companies surveyed believe sites like Facebook and Twitter pose serious risks to their companies’ data.

Sophos’ “Social Security” report found that IT executives dealt with what they characterized as a record number of spam and malware attacks in the past year, most of which originated from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

According to the survey, companies are most concerned with the lack of security on Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking site with more 350 million registered users.

Sixty percent of respondents said Facebook was their most feared social networking sites, followed by MySpace at 18 percent, Twitter at 17 percent and LinkedIn at 4 percent.

Despite the risks, enterprise clients are conflicted on how best to balance the risks and rewards of social media. According to Sophos, 49 percent of companies surveyed allow their employees to have unfettered access to Facebook – up 13 percent from a year ago – even though they know that much of the spam and malware infecting their networks originates on the site.

Read the rest at eSecurity Planet.