Being the most popular kid on the block has its drawbacks. At Websense we found that 80 percent of the top 20 most visited web properties have Web 2.0 philosophies. These properties live and breathe collaboration, and user participation. But as the technologies and processes that enhance Web 2.0 grow, the sophistication and prevalence of attack methods and exploits grow equally as fast. We've already seen cases of this in social networking sites — the bad guys are creating content, joining networks and discovering nefarious ways to install code and deceive users into divulging important information.
With that in mind, here are some tips to help mitigate, at least in part, some of the risks of Web 2.0.
If you are rolling out Web 2.0 technologies, include security as part of the development design, implementation and on-going life-cycle. In addition, limit access to employees accessing malicious web content through strict flexible policy management. Finally, educate users on the risks of signing up and frequenting popular social networks and content rich sites to mitigate exposure.
