Computer Services & Social Media: Companies Prioritize NYC IT Security - 06-30-2009

Social Media - from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Digg - is changing the way small businesses build and market their brands, but its also making their NYC IT infrastructure more vulnerable than ever. That’s why NYC companies capitalizing on social media strategies are simultaneously prioritizing computer security in Manhattan.

 “Every time you—or one of your employees—travels the web whether its to tweet about your new product, update the company blog, or e-mail a prospect, you’re opening your network to malware,” says Einat Aviraz-Sibony, President of Metro New York IT services firm UPTIME.

 Malware, taken from the words malicious and software, is software aimed at damaging your computer system without your consent. We’re all familiar with the most common type of malware—the NYC e-mail virus—but what other types of malware and related Internet security hazards do small businesses launching social media platforms need to be aware of?

Spam In Manhattan

Junk mail may seem like a mere nuisance, but according to a new report by security vendor Symantec, spam now account for 90% of all e-mails. That’s a huge drain on your company’s computer network: excess e-mail clogs your bandwidth, slowing your essential business applications and drowning out valid e-mail. The answer is to invest in top quality New York City IT security spam filter and ensure that the software is updated routinely via an NY IT security maintenance program .

NYC Clickjacking

A relative newcomer to the NYC security malware arena, clickjacking--a phrase coined by Whitehat Security - is a software that tricks a user into clicking onto a malicious site by superimposing an invisible button over something she wants to click on. Jeremiah Grossman, chief technology officer and co-founder of Whitehat Security, explained to cnet.com that “It can be any button on any Web page on any Web site." While clickjacking is usually only used as a prank, it can be abused: a hacker can use clickjacking to spy on you using your webcam, send you to a site that downloads a virus or worm onto your computer, or trick you into clicking buy instead of cancel on a web shopping cart.

What can you do to protect yourself from clickjacking? Make sure all employees always log out of web-based social media programs like Twitter and Facebook after they’re done. On a more basic level: cover the webcam, disable the microphone, and make sure virus protection software is properly installed and updated .

Worms & Other Virus Attacks In New York City

All eyes turned to Facebook this past May 14 when it failed to contain a virus that spread across its web-based application. There was no real damage done—at most users’ accounts were temporarily disabled and passwords were reset—but it opened a discussion about how future, more malicious, viruses and worms might use these social media applications to attack your computer and network. (And there in indeed a lot to worry about: a similar worm, the Downadup worm, which spread primarily through websites and blogs infected some 3.5 million computers this past April.) Protecting your New York City IT network from viruses downloaded from personal and corporate blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and industry-specific social media sites is more paramount than ever.