author: programming

Latest Security News | SecurityExtra.com

Habits of Social Networkers: 54 Percent of Users are Addicted

Posted: 19 Aug 2011 02:18 AM PDT

With malware showing no signs of abating on social networks and continuous news of the privacy implications of sharing personal details through social media, it's no surprise users are making more efforts to reduce their risk of exposure in 2011. So indicate findings from Webroot, the first Internet security service company, in its third annual look into the security habits of social networkers. In a survey of 4,000 social network users, Webroot assessed year-over-year trends in behaviours such as usage of privacy settings, incidence of security attacks, and usage of certain data-sharing features. In addition, Webroot explored several emerging areas including self-reported addiction to social networks, beliefs about who is responsible for our security on social networks, and security measures taken while accessing social networks via mobile devices. "Threats targeting social networks are continuously being regenerated in new versions so their makers can evade detection and spread their malicious programs relentlessly across users' accounts," said Jacques Erasmus, Webroot threat expert. "Over the last nine months, our threat intelligence network has detected more than 4,000 versions of the Koobface virus hit social network users. Cybercriminals continue to target social networks because they can quickly access a large pool of victims. But [...]