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Social media is the newest playground for cybercriminals: Cisco

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DQC Bureau
New Update

Cisco issued its Annual Security Report for 2009, which highlights the impact

of social media, particularly social networking, on network security and

explores the critical role not technology, but people play in creating

opportunities for cybercriminals. The report also includes winners of the 2009

Cisco cybercrime showcase and discusses trends in cloud computing, spam and

overall global cybercrime activities that IT professionals continue to face.

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Social media experienced explosive growth in 2009. Facebook alone tripled its

active user base to 350 million over the course of the year. Social media

adoption is expected to continue growing in 2010, especially as more

organizations realize the value of social networks as an absolute business

requirement. Social networks have quickly become a playground for cybercriminals

because members of these sites put an inordinate amount of trust in the other

members of their communities and often fail to take precautions to prevent the

spread of malware and computer viruses. The annual security report also provides

more information on the potentially devastating combination of minor

vulnerabilities, poor user behavior, and outdated security software that can

dramatically increase risks to network security.

The first-ever Cisco cybercrime showcase acknowledged security professionals

holding the front lines in the fight against cybercrime. Zeus was named the most

audacious criminal operation. A Trojan that delivers malware by targeted

phishing and drive-by downloads, Zeus goes beyond login names and passwords to

steal numerous online banking credentials.

The cybercrime 'Sign of Hope' was awarded to 'The Conficker Working Group'.

This group, composed of members of the security community and industry, is

credited with significantly muting the impact of the network worm conficker,

which was anticipated to wreak havoc starting on April 1, 2009.

Patrick Peterson, Fellow, Cisco remarked, "The blending of social media for

business and pleasure increases the potential for network security troubles and

people, not technology, can often be the source. Without proper cognizance of

security threats, our natural inclination to trust our 'friends' can result in

exposing ourselves, home computers and corporate networks to malware. The value

of social media is becoming acknowledged increasingly by businesses, but these

same organizations need to provide the proper training and education to ensure

that employees avoid compromising themselves and their businesses."

DQC News Bureau

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