CRN writes the following about Social Networking Threats. For the full article head over to State Of Technology Security: Top 10 Biggest Security Threats

Social Networking Threats made the Top 10 list for the first time, coming in third place with 34.4 percent of the partner vote. But partners have acknowledged that social networking attacks pose a very real and serious threat. End users have been exposed to countless Trojans, Internet worms and phishing attacks targeting social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Attackers have exploited a wealth of personal and identifying information that users freely share online to commit identity theft crimes. In addition, social networking sites carry with them a strong trust component. Unlike spam attacks, which typically originate from an unfamiliar or suspicious source, social networking attacks often appear to come from someone the user knows and trusts, compelling them to click on infected links or malicious files that ultimately download malware onto their systems.
The market for hackers has also been flung wide open as more businesses utilize social networking sites to promote their business and establish important contacts. And there appears to be no reprieve in sight as the social networking market continues to expand.

While we promote Network Velocity on Twitter, we also advise clients to filter employee web surfing to protect sensitive company data and reduce expensive malware cleanup. Social Networking can be a great marketing tool, but due to the rampant popularity of sites like Facebook, hackers are increasingly targeting Social Networking sites with malicious software. Social Networking can be used as a tool to communicate to your clients, peers and vendors but be sure you are in control and using Social Networking to your advantage. In the work environment, restricted access for is still the best policy to avoid productivity problems and security/malware breaches.

For most businesses, we believe the best Social Networking strategy is to blog frequently and use Twitter and other sites to point traffic to your blog. In this way control of your message stays in your hands and Social Networking is used to drive traffic to your site where visits can be measured and ROI calculated. Keep in mind the Social aspect of Social Media. Communication should not be one way. When a person engages with your online presence, respond!

While web scams are nothing new, this latest story underscores the importance of adhering to strong password policies and using common sense on the web. Twitter users who entered their credentials on this bogus site have put their web based accounts that share the same credentials in jeopardy.

Network Velocity recommends using a password manager such as RoboForm to securely create and store random passwords.

And a final reminder about passwords, longer passwords are more secure than short passwords, no matter how difficult the short password may seem. For instance, “thisverylongandsimplepassword” is more secure than a short password that uses random characters like $#@^.

Always use common sense and, if possible, always use RoboForm!