Sophos kills Second Life

Security software firm Sophos has announced that companies can now block employees playing the online phenomenon Second Life via company networks.

From 22 March 2007, Sophos users will be able to use a new control that will effectively kill-off Second Life on corporate networks.

Second Life is an online, social environment with four million users, mimicking real life and with a growing number of real-life companies buying up virtual real-estate in the game world.

Sophos claimed that with many players using business PCs to play Second Life, it is reducing worker productivity and posing an increased IT risk. The company highlights how hackers stole a Second Life database containing login details and passwords for around 650,000 players last September.

In a survey of 450 IT administrators, over 90 per cent wanted the ability to block the unauthorised use of games at work. Over 60 per cent classed it as “essential”. They were also concerned about the increased strain on network bandwidth, wasted time and security threats.

"Second Life is a hot topic on the internet, with people becoming hooked on their new virtual life and companies opening up virtual branches. IT departments are concerned that workers may be so keen to log on to Second Life and other virtual worlds that there will not only be a productivity hit but also a potential security issue," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos.

She added: “If users cannot be trusted to act responsibly on corporate computers, then system administrators will need to enforce policies through technology. For businesses operating in the real world, users playing online games can seriously impact on performance, drain network resources and put corporate data at risk.”