Firesheep and Security-as-a-Service Take on the Spotlights
Not so long ago Seattle-based developer Eric Butler had set himself an aim to expose the security flaws in Facebook and Twitter’s data handling, and launched Firefox program Firesheep for free download. This extremely easy to use social-network password stealer may have been coded in good faith, but after thousands of downloads, a wave of aspiring hackers is heading full force against unsuspecting users, raising even more privacy concerns regarding FB and Twitter.
“Thanks to [a] Seattle software developer, an easily downloadable program allows even a luddite the ability to steal passwords from Twitter and Facebook…Butler’s post on a hacking Web site said that as soon as anyone on the network visits an insecure Web site, their name and photo will be displayed in the Firesheep window.”
The unpleasant thought some social-network users will now have is to look to their left and right before visiting other websites. It is not a very positive one, but on the other hand, after a wave of social-network attacks it’s not that surprising. Facebook and Twitter are constantly trying to sharpen their defenses, but lately their efforts have even been hinted to be unprofessional, exposing users on multiple fronts to multiple parties.
In a related matter, many people have noticed the privacy and security issues revealing themselves over and over again, as that topic also influences the cloud and SaaS arenas. While it has been unpleasantly welcomed by some, Read Write Web lists here a number of companies redefining the term SaaS, and offering Security-as-a-Service. Zscaler offers cloud-based protection by routing internet traffic via their own secure proxies, Seculert offers a currently unrevealed patent-pending technology as well as monitoring and The Media Trust offers threat detection and privacy monitoring services.
It’s growing in demand for businesses, as consumers demand more privacy around their data being kept in the cloud. The push for consumer tools, like e-commerce sites, mobile shopping and open networks has invited a warm environment for snatching up username information. The growing concern around data safety is reaching a number of industries as well.
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