Social Media: The Double-Edged Sword for the Security Community
by Jack Daniel on June 12, 2012
Social media is generally portrayed as a fast way to lose data, leak information, and ultimately end up in trouble. But social media isn’t only another pain point for the security community – it also has a lot of real assets for us, some of which have dramatically changed the way I do my job. It’s a maddeningly multifaceted issue, with many layers on both sides of the coin.
I wanted to start this post by talking about the positive contributions social media has given the security industry – the sharing of knowledge, community, etc. – but then last week’s LinkedIn breach pushed social media privacy concerns right back to the forefront.
The LinkedIn breach shows how difficult controlling all the necessary considerations can be when you’re forming and enforcing a social media security policy. You can monitor or limit employee use at work, scan regularly for malware, and educate employees on safe social media practices, but something else can go wrong – like the social network itself mishandling your password. You’re basically playing Whack-a-Mole.