Social networking sites pose hacking risk, expert says

Written by Jenny Smith

Social networking websites pose security risks for companies as increasing numbers of employees log on to the likes of Facebook and MySpace at work, according to an expert.

Ed Sperling, writing for Forbes, says the recession has led to a sharp rise in workers using LinkedIn as they are trying to build up their contact lists in case they are made redundant.

He states that social networking sites are "one of the greatest tools for hackers to gain entry into the corporate enterprise, no matter how impenetrable a company thinks it is from the bad guys".

Ethical hacking specialist Netragard's chief executive, Dave Morris and chief technology officer, Adriel Desautels, recommends firms create policies regarding the use of online community pages, according to the news provider.

They also suggest assessing any new technology thoroughly for potential security risks, which could require them to seek London IT support.

Last week, ScanSafe reported that its research showed there was an "explosive growth" in malware threats in 2008.