SecurityRatty: Web 2.0 SecureD. DelivereD. :)

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Web 2.0 SecureD. DelivereD. :)

2007-10-13 09:29:44 by RaviC in Musings on Information Security

Web 2.0 has become a well accepted jargon in the current marketplace. It is a set of new web based technologies that enable building of on-line communities.

Web 2.0 is a democracy of user communities [thanks to Paul Graham for his definition]. Web 2.0 gives more power for the users to interact, customize, share and leverage.

The democratization of users bring significant problems.

1. Loss of privacy: Ease of use motivates users to upload personal information. Many users are not aware of ramifications of loss of personal information or they don't even think on those lines. A good example is an employer going through the Facebook entry of a potential hire.

2. Hackers Paradise: New technology brings new vulnerabilities. Hackers are having a party exploiting Web 2.0 based applications. We are more vulnerable with Web 2.0 currently than with Web 1.0.

3. Lots of Junk: Take for example Wikipedia, anyone/anywhere can edit the content [everybody is an expert!]. How can I trust the quality of information? It is not possible to reference Wikipedia in a research paper. Moreover, it puts burden on the users to sift good and bad stuff.

4. Copyright/Intellectual Property Violations: I don't have to say much about this. Web 2.0 provides a platform for such violations and magnifies the impact [Record label sues Napster, Viacom sues Google over YouTube clips].

5. Other Social Problems: People can interact on-line in ways that was not possible before. These new interactions create new set of social problems.

and many more problems that can make my blog post long and boring..

Some of the above aspects can be addressed: for example building web applications securely ground up can help prevent hackers. Designing Web 2.0 application to ensure users use the platform responsibly is a good idea too. Spreading security awareness education to on-line communities can help engender responsible/secure use of the web.

Security should be a feature added to Web 2.0 and let's call Web 2.T3. The "T3" represents the security triad - Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability.

Though security does not address all aspects of Web 2.0. Web 2.T3 surely will be a better place to live.