Foreword

Just when you thought it was safe to use the Internet again, those ADD technorati types cook up a whole new interface between the physical and virtual worlds. Whether you call it social media, social networking, or some yet-to-be-popularized term like groupthink (oh, wait…is that taken?), the phenomenon is real and it has deep implications for our day-to-day lives.

Unfortunately, like many prior adaptive radiations (think dot com), the technology and appetite for more page impressions is way out in front of the desire or ability to control things. As the authors of Securing the Clicks cite in their opening chapter, “A New York court recently referred to the users’ reasonable expectation of privacy on social media websites like Facebook and MySpace as merely “wishful thinking.” As a long-time (and still actively practicing) security professional, I can attest that this may be the biggest understatement of this still-young century.

One of the first questions I always ask clients who seek my advice on information security is “What are you trying to protect?” This question starkly defines the level and type of investment one will make in securing the asset. Social media is intently and expressly designed to leverage our most valuable asset—the essence of ourselves, where we are (“presence”), who we associate with, our daily activities and habits, our reputation/brand, even our most impromptu thoughts expressed 140 characters at a time via Twitter. What would you spend to protect everything that makes you, you?

On the more practical side of the coin, people are social animals. We’ve historically shared lots of things about ourselves well before Facebook. (Remember browsing the local telephone book? Names, numbers, addresses…) Perhaps naïvely, perhaps not, we all perceive a balance in the risk-reward equation when it comes to information commerce: we get more than we give, right? Not surprisingly, the Internet is based heavily on exactly this risk-reward proposition: immense value is given freely (Wikipedia, YouTube, Farmville…), all in exchange for the ability to know about you and introduce you to commercial suitors. We are complicit in this scheme, like it or not.

So, if you’re looking for a safer social media experience, you are fighting an uphill battle, perhaps against the tide of human evolution itself. Fortunately, you have made an excellent choice, and that is to seek the counsel of the authors of this book (some of whom I have worked with in the field of information security for a very long time). They have collected in these pages an invaluable compendium of insider tips, tricks, strategies, and tactics that have steered the world’s most recognized corporations steadily across the tumultuous seas of the social media phenomenon. From policies to staffing, budgets to strategic planning, technical investigations to PR response, Securing the Clicks covers the fundamentals as well as the advanced issues that confront anyone attempting to do business in today’s technological climate. So, start reading, and be confident as you stride out into this brave new social world!

Joel Scambray

CEO, Consciere

Author of Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions,
Hacking Exposed: Web Applications, and Hacking Exposed: Windows