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Campbell, Calif. (Oct. 12, 2011) – Barracuda Labs today released its 2011 Social Networking Security & Privacy Study. The complete study and infographic can be seen at www.barracudalabs.com. Barracuda Labs is the research arm of Barracuda Networks Inc., the leading provider of security, application delivery and data protection solutions to businesses.

“Social networks are a significant part of how we communicate with one another. At the same time, the dangers associated with social networking have climbed exponentially,” said Dr. Paul Judge, chief research officer and vice president for Barracuda Networks. “The fact that nine out of 10 users already have been attacked proves that attackers are taking over social networks and users are living in fear.”

The study focuses on social networking usage, security and privacy, and is based on survey results from hundreds of users representing over 20 countries. The study was conducted over a two-week span between September and October 2011. Overall, users value security and privacy almost equally to popularity and ease of use. Earlier this year, Barracuda Labs launched Profile Protector, a free service that protects social networking users against malicious threats on Facebook and Twitter and is available at http://profileprotector.com. The results in today's study show the growing need for tools to enhance the security and privacy controls on social networks. Major highlights from the study are included below.

Social Networking Usage

• LinkedIn is the most accepted social network by businesses with only 20 percent of companies blocking or limiting its usage, as compared to 31 percent of companies that block or limit Facebook.

Social Networking Security

• Nine out of 10 people have received spam, and one in four have received a virus or malware, on a social network.

Social Networking Privacy

• One in five people has been negatively affected by information that was exposed on a social network.

2011 Social Networking Security & Privacy Study – Resources:

Infographic – http://www.barracudalabs.com/SNS

Report – http://www.barracudalabs.com/SNSreport