Spam hits Google Buzz already
After just two days, spammers hit Google's social network
By Carrie-Ann Skinner | PC Advisor | Published: 10:17, 15 February 2010
Despite only being launched this week, spammers are already targeting Google Buzz, the search engine's social network, says Websense.
Websense said that when Twitter launched it took a little while before it was targeted by spammers. However, in an indictment of how rapidly spammers are learning to abuse social networks, it took only two days before they started to hit Google Buzz.
"It's worrying that spammers have an improved knowledge of social networks these days that allows them to hit new services like Google Buzz so rapidly," said Carl Leonard, security research manager at Websense.
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"To embrace social networks like Google Buzz safely, businesses need to protect themselves and their employees with a security solution that keeps up with constantly changing web content in real time."
The security firm said Web 2.0 sites allowing user-generated content are a top target for cybercriminals and spammers, and research revealed that 95 percent of user-generated comments to blogs, chat rooms and message boards are spam or malicious.
Furthermore, during the second half of the year, 81 percent of emails contained a malicious link.
"Today's emerging threats often evade traditional antivirus and security solutions, demonstrating the need for unified Web, data and email security. With the right support, web 2.0 opens up a host of new opportunities which can deliver real business benefits."
Websense is advising web users to use caution when clicking on unknown links. It also revealed it hopes Google is prepared to deal with the volume of spam it is bound to see on the new service.
