Facebook Home, the new app designed to ensure the social network is always on on Android smartphones, is likely to put corporate networks at risk from hacks and should be banned from work.
That is the damning verdict of network security experts, including Sophos, who claim the app could prove a nightmare for corporations which allow staff to use their own devices for work purposes.
Facebook unveiled the scheme last week, with many in the marketing industry hailing it as a so-called ‘market changer’. It is designed to give Facebook’s 1 billion users the option of always staying connected with friends and family through their Android phones.
The app, set for release next week, sits on top of the operating system and becomes the phone’s user interface.
But Sophos security advisor Chester Wisniewski said of Facebook Home: “That’s the first thing I would block on my network.”
And IDC analyst John Grady added: “If you’re using a phone where your entire experience revolves around Facebook, you’re going to be more apt to share information, either purposely or unintentionally.
“So much of security isn’t users doing things they shouldn’t be doing on purpose,” Grady said. “A lot of it is accidental.”
Malicious links on Facebook could also be an issue. Google-controlled Android is already cybercriminals’ favourite target for malware, so opening up another platform from which to launch an attack does not make much sense, experts say.
They also claim the reputation of an organisation is at greater risk with Facebook Home, citing the example of if an employee’s phone is lost or stolen, someone could use it to post racial or sexual slurs that, depending on the employee’s responsibilities, could tarnish the company’s image.
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