Right to reply: Facebook 500 million user milestone great news for enterprises – but vigilance still needed
- Added:
- Jul 29, 2010
In just six years Facebook has reached the 500 million member mark, which includes 26 million Britons, more than one third of the UK population. The global figure means eight per cent of the world’s population is now on the leading social network, which gained around 100 million new users in the last six months alone. Carl Leonard, Security Research Manager EMEA, Websense, explains why an increasingly connected world should be greeted with caution…
The fact that Facebook has hit 500 million users really underlines the popularity of social networking and web 2.0 tools. The power of Facebook has not gone unnoticed by enterprises, which are using this powerful Web 2.0 tool to reach their business goals.
Web 2.0 properties like Facebook are a real driving force for businesses on so many levels. Take marketing for instance – things like Facebook can really help in promoting your business to the right audience. However, with these benefits there are also dangers. Web 2.0 platforms are vulnerable to multi-channel blended attacks and social engineering scams. These sorts of attacks are indicative of contemporary hackers and cyber fraudsters’.
Businesses must be alert to these dangers, but they shouldn’t be losing out on the benefits of Web 2.0 platforms by blocking them. Instead, businesses should simply ensure that their employees are using Web 2.0 properties safely.
What can help with that is the deployment of a security solution that offers real time protection and security analytics. If you are using a rapid reaction unified security solution it can defend against these blended attacks.
A simple way to help businesses enjoy the benefits of Web 2.0 without added online security worries.
We know corporate Facebook profiles are a valuable resource for a business, but spammers can be a problem.
Websense Defensio can protect your personal or corporate Facebook profiles from spam and malicious content.
By Carl Leonard
Security Research Manager EMEA
Websense
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