Security Issues Holding Back Social Media's Potential

Social Media's rise in popularity has created some very real problems for the Internet and its users. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have seemingly opened the floodgates to security troubles, and over the past few weeks, this has been accentuated by a number of issues and studies.

As Murdok recently another study recently released by AVG and CMO Council. This indicates that most social network users fail to perform the following basic security measures on a regular basis:

- Changing passwords (64% infrequently or never)

- Adjusting privacy settings (57% infrequently or never)

- Informing their social network administrator (90% infrequently or never)

Here are some more stats from that one:

- 21% accept contact offerings from members they don't recognize

- Over half let acquaintances or roommates access social networks on their machines

-  64% click on links offered by community members or contacts

-  26% share files within social networks

- Nearly 20% have experienced identity theft

- 47% have been victims of malware infections

- 55% have seen phishing attacks

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Now this reflects social network users' practices regarding their own personal lives. You have to wonder what that means for these same users' professional (there is often a fine line there anyway) social media habits. Some other startling statistics from that report can be reviewed recent denial-of-service attacks on Twitter and Facebook. You've got the issue of a giant hole in Twitter was discovered last week that Twitter has yet to even acknowledge on their blogs.

Not only are evil-doers able to exploit social network users' profiles, but a study from Worcester Polytechnic Institute a big threat in August. Some URL-shortening services have even had to shut down as a result.

What Are the Networks doing?
It wouldn't be fair to say that the social networks have ignored security issues. They haven't. But are they doing enough? Twitter recently spent some time trying to improve the process of helping users gain back their hacked accounts.

But the threats are still out there, and they seem to be increasing much more rapidly than they're being eliminated. These are not easy problems, and I have no doubt that the social networks take them very seriously, but until people can really feel comfortable about the medium, I think its potential is going to be hampered.

As long as threats remain so prevalent, so will reluctance. That goes for businesses and individuals alike. Yes, social media adoption continues to grow rapidly, but there are many still out there who do not see the point, at least at the price of security.

There is progress to be made, and it likely will be made. Once we get over that hump, this social web thing should really take off.