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Spam, Malware Become More Common On Social Networks
Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
2010-02-01
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Social networks might be transforming from friendly, "where everybody knows your name"-type places into playgrounds for malware authors and spammers. New data from Sophos shows that there has been a significant increase in the number of attacks against social networks' users, at least.
 | | Spam, Malware Become More Common On Social Networks |  |
Sophos recently talked to individuals representing about 500 organizations, and according to a formal statement, "57% of users report they have been spammed via social networking sites, a rise of 70.6% from last year." Also, "36% reveal they have been sent malware via social networking sites, a rise of 69.8% from last year."
Obviously, that isn't good, and since people can let down their guards while using social networks, could be quite bad.
So which social network is the worst in terms of spam and malware? Interestingly, 60 percent of respondents identified Facebook as the biggest security risk. But that may be due more to issues of market share (the most popular place is the most popular target) and familiarity (people don't visit many social networks other than Facebook) than any huge flaws.
Regardless, the data serves as a good reminder for people to stay on their toes while using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like.
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews, InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
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