Web 2.0, the idea of bringing interactivity and establishing communities via the Internet, is not as pleasant as some may think. Because of the ‘open’ (for lack of a better word) architecture Web 2.0 sites use, criminals are taking advantage of the functionality that is provided to users. When you think of a Web 2.0 website, you can think of a pendulum that has security on one side and functionality on the other. Unfortunately, the general mindset of these kinds of sites is to have a lot of the weight leaning towards functionality and barely anything towards security. Just remember that while Web 2.0 sites are designed to help establish communities, that doesn’t mean that you should trust everyone you meet online.

With the continued increase in Web-based communication in the form of Web applications, social networking sites, wikis, blogs and podcasts, new security risks are rising throughout the enterprise. Organizations must take steps to strengthen their defenses in a Web 2.0 world.

As Web 2.0 continues to offer new and exciting ways to collaborate more interactively over the Internet, it is continuously bringing new targeted threats to the horizon. As employees use these Web-based services from work computers, they are unaware that they may be exposing themselves and their organizations to risk.

Hackers target Web 2.0 applications because they are easily able to find passwords, work-related or personal information of its users, and to compromise computers for their own purposes.[more]

Tags: Social Networking, Computer Protection