Social Media is a Maelstrom of Malware

A new Canadian survey on social media risks released today reveals a "dangerous gap in corporate social media security."

70% of information technology respondents in Canada said that social media in the workplace represents a "serious security risk," yet only 31% report having the "necessary security controls in place to mitigate it." And, startlingly, more than half report an increase in malware due to social media use.

"The use of social media in the Canadian workplace is growing. More and more businesses are using blogs, social networks, wikis and other social media outlets to collaborate, gather feedback, and quickly share information with key audiences," said Fiaaz Walji, Websense Canadian Country Manager. "However, the social web is dynamic and demands a new approach to security beyond just antivirus and firewalls to mitigate the increased risk this technology brings to the workplace. Real-time content analysis, data loss prevention, and advanced threat blocking are necessary."

According to the report, dynamic social web is "qualitatively different from the older, static web." This means that it requires an IT security defense that goes beyond signature and fixed-policy web technologies such antivirus software and firewalls. Only secure web gateways with real-time content analysis and data loss prevention can block advanced malware and data theft attacks that occur through social media. 

For example, imagine a new link is posted to a popular social network and it directs users to a site that downloads or leads to data-stealing code via obfuscated JavaScript. Organizations need security technology that can analyze these links as they appear, because the link path is new and doesn't have a recognizable signature or known payload. New technologies like social media, cloud services, and mobility require real-time content security, which analyzes information on the fly, as it's created and consumed.

"Businesses today need to combine employee education on proper social media practices with a content security solution that examines the content and context of social media sites in real time," said Fiaaz. "Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn change too rapidly to rely on traditional background analysis and security software update cycles. That's why Websense developed the TRITON(TM) real-time content security solution that can analyze individual pieces of content on these social media sites and protect your business from modern malware and data theft, plus policy controls to preserve bandwidth."

"We asked hundreds of Canadian IT security professionals and most respondents agree that the use of social media in the workplace is important to achieving business objectives," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "However, they believe social media puts their organizations at risk and they do not have the necessary security controls and enforceable policies to address the risk. It's also clear that malware attacks are increasing as a result of social media use."

Risks aside, social media presents "a large business opportunity for collaboration, reduced expenses, and more efficient processes." Canadian companies that block social media are in "real danger of being left behind."

The research, conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Websense, was part of a global survey.