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Written by: 10/21/2011 7:17 AM
So it looks like the statistics are in: in 2011, the average American office worker wasted about two hours at the desk. And there are a whole host of popular ways to effectively whittle away the hours at work—including open-eyed naps, chatting in the break room, or stretching out office errands as long as possible. But unsurprisingly, the number one time-eater is surfing the Internet.
To be fair, office work can be dull—and it is even harder to stay on task now that workers have the most comprehensive source of information and entertainment available at their fingertips.
And, since good managers understand the need for a brain break, many companies opt not to block social networking sites like Facebook. Many companies are even asking their employees to use Facebook and Twitter as a part of their job, to reach a wider audience through free marketing. After all, we’re all adults here, right?
Sure. But according to a recent study by the Ponemon Institute, companies aren’t just losing pennies through low productivity here or there. 52% of the organizations in the study have also experienced an increase in malware attacks because of social media use.
“This survey is the first time I’ve seen a number put to the increase in malware specifically due to social media," says Tom Clare, senior director of product marketing at Websense, in his blog. "We know from our Security Labs alerts how frequently the latest in scams and attacks over the social web occur. I think it’s only a matter of time before that accelerates, as social media is further combined with social engineering and the bad guys start pulling data out from the organization through the open door of social media."
So, brothers and sisters of the cubicle: take note and enjoy it while it lasts. As social engineers get more and more savvy and as phishing scams continue to explode all over social networks, more and more organizations may have to slam the doors on sites that may be suspect.
Read more here: http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks-breaches/231900113/index.html