Business users of instant messaging and social networking sites
are making a catalogue of errors when using the technology,
according to a survey.
Instant messaging security firm
FaceTime
Communications found that 77% of the 200-plus people surveyed
could access instant messaging systems at work.
Of these, more than a third admitted to sending an instant
message to the wrong person, occasionally to the person they were
talking about, and frequently to their superiors.
Sending kisses, checking on the whereabouts of loved ones and
derogatory comments about co-workers and superiors have all ended
up in a manager's chat window.
One respondent even confessed to sending a joke of an explicit
sexual nature accidentally to the financial director.
Just 5% of respondents had sent confidential information to the
wrong person. However, one such error resulted in the company's
telephony and internet access being used by someone else at the
organisation's expense.
Nearly 16% of respondents said that they had clicked on an
attachment or a link within an instant message that had turned out
to be malware. And 42% of those said their current anti-virus
protection did not catch it.
Although only a small minority of the respondents admitted to
posting confidential or negative work-related comments on social
networking sites, a lack of forward thinking when posting generally
was evident in faux-pas anecdotes given during the survey.
One respondent posted to Twitter, "Woohoo! I've finished for the
day" at 4pm, rather than his finish time of 5.30pm, only to receive
a call from a colleague asking how he was enjoying the
sunshine.
Another stated that he was an eager job seeker to his current
and rather surprised employer.
While nearly three-quarters of people surveyed could access
social networking sites at work, only two-thirds said their
employer's policy allowed them to do so, showing that adequate
policy enforcement tools were not in place.
"Enabling IM and other types of web 2.0 communication can bring
great benefits to companies, but IT departments need to consider
the risks involved and make sure that security, policy control and
compliance are introduced as standard best practice," said Nick
Sears, vice-president EMEA of FaceTime Communications.
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