We can no longer imagine our lives and work without social media. It's one of the most widely used sales tools for companies, and the fastest way for people around the world to share information and communicate. However, it's important for organizations to understand the risks and how hackers use something so routine to protect their network and employees.
The permanent banning or blocking of social media accounts is done by some companies today, precisely to keep data secure and employees more focused.
For many, this behavior is overkill, and for others, a necessity. But does granting access to social media and entertainment sites put company data at risk?
The answer is: Yes! And that's exactly what we'll see next.
What are the entry points?
Social media, besides distracting employees, also leads to suspicious links . There is a potential risk of installing malicious software containing malware, spyware, and viruses.
According to a survey by Kaspersky, the websites that employees access most frequently on corporate devices are also among the most exploited by hackers. Considering that not all companies have these sites blocked, it becomes a relatively easy entry point for cybercriminals.
Anyone who thinks that only employees' personal data will be "stolen" or "hijacked" in attacks originating from their social media accounts is mistaken. According to Kaspersky data, the five web services that employees access most frequently from company devices are: YouTube, Facebook, Google Drive, Gmail, and WhatsApp. These same services are also among the most exploited in cyberattacks on corporate data.
To help you grasp the magnitude of the facts, let's look at the numbers: Among the services most abused for malicious campaigns, we have, in the following order, Facebook (4.5 million attempted attacks), WhatsApp (3.7 million), Amazon (3.3 million), Apple (3.1 million), and Netflix (2.7 million).
I'm sure the numbers are much higher than I imagined.
Is prohibition the solution?
Although many companies put in place access rules , without a blocking tool , the decision to access or not is still up to the employee. Unfortunately, practically all employees use some social network daily, and it's unlikely they will go without "taking a look" during the day.
From the employees' point of view, working for a company where the internet is blocked is somewhat unsettling. Many are unhappy with certain internet security policies and believe it's all just corporate paranoia or a lack of trust in the team. However, this decision rests with the company, because without any kind of blocking or protection of internet access, inexperienced and untrained employees end up falling victim to cyber scams and putting company data at risk.
In several other articles here on our blog, we've discussed the direct link between inappropriate employee online behavior and cyberattacks on businesses.
Prohibiting it keeps managers and professionals responsible for this care hostage to common sense and, above all, to the employee's knowledge to distinguish false ads from real ones, identify fake websites and emails , as well as harmful links, and the numerous forms of attacks that exist.
Perhaps simply imposing bans, without any kind of time-based controls or automatic blocking systems with separate rules for users and sectors, will not be the solution.
But if prohibition isn't the best (or smartest) approach, and a complete block isn't either, how do you keep company data secure? By blocking and allowing access at specific times, as you can see below.
Access granted by time of day.
For small and medium-sized businesses, where the productivity and well-being of each employee is a determining factor for business success, using a system to grant access to social networks at specific times, with rules separated by users or departments, makes the impasse of total blocking a little more balanced.
Internet access control systems for businesses can be a perfect fit for these situations (in addition to basic security systems ), as they can block websites considered harmful and also allow access to social networks at specific times, keeping employees focused when needed, safe when browsing social media, and a little less "oppressed" by blocks or restrictive rules, making the work environment and the employee themselves more productive.
How do I control internet access?
There are various solutions available on the market for managing and controlling internet access . However, the vast majority require high investment , the involvement of specialized technical professionals, and demand constant maintenance, updates, and frequent support. This makes them expensive and often unfeasible, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
Lumiun exists to fill this gap in the market and offer an accessible and simplified solution to small and medium-sized businesses.
The main factor in choosing this solution is that Lumiun offers fast and intuitive control of internet access for businesses.
Here are some of Lumiun's features:
- Blocking access to specific websites
- Access control by categories and content types such as pornography, social media, racism, games and gambling, among others.
- Blocking and unblocking websites by time.
- Access rules by company groups or departments
- Access control for remote or home office employees.
All of this is done automatically, without the need for technical knowledge or extensive network configurations on the company's network.
Internet Access Control Guide , you can find a step-by-step guide to effectively managing your company's internet access using Lumiun Box .
If you would like to learn more about Lumiun, download the presentation , which contains more detailed information about the solution, or free, no-obligation demonstration
To conclude
As the article warns, leaving company data security to the good faith of employees is somewhat risky. However, every effort to improve information security is worthwhile. Educate your employees, provide basic training, create a data security policy, and most importantly, have good systems and solutions in place to prevent any cyberattacks on the company stemming from the unrestricted use of social media.
I hope I have helped you in some way to understand the importance of this very sensitive topic.
To the next!
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