By Christopher Null
(http://ca.tech.yahoo.com/computers/laptops/article/4285)
Social networks: Can't live without 'em, but if corporate IT departments had their way, the rank and file certainly wouldn't be living with 'em. And Facebook is, by far, considered the worst of the bunch.
Anti-malware vendor Sophos polled 500 corporations and found that, in the eyes of IT, Facebook is by far the biggest risk to corporate security among social networking websites. Of the big four social networks, 60 per cent of managers named Facebook as public enemy #1, putting it miles ahead of perennial pariah MySpace, which earned just 18 per cent of the vote.
Of course, it's easy to pick on Facebook: With 350 million users, it's a daily destination for a wide swath of people and one which few will willingly give up without a fight. But that kind of user base has made it a prime target for malware creators, and any user with more than a few dozen friends on the site is likely beseiged by various attacks: hacked accounts, malicious wall posts, and spammers trying to befriend you so they can send endless come-ons your way. Facebook is a lot of fun, but it's become a serious breeding ground for such attacks, and a place where vigilance is required at all times.
The irony of course is that Facebook has become not just a way for employees to waste time when they should be working but also a major tool for businesses looking to (legitimately) promote themselves. Most Facebook users are likely subject to numerous requests to "become a fan" of one commercial concern or another, and many companies have full-time staff whose job it is to keep these fan pages up-to-date and the Twitter feed filled with company-appropriate news. Facebook may indeed be a security risk, but it's also becoming an essential tool of the trade.
As Sophos notes, credit Facebook for taking significant steps to police its network, but at its mammoth size, even those steps may not be enough. Be careful out there, guys.
