Web 2.0 is the current label for the latest generation of Internet-based applications and Web sites that contain user-generated content combined with rich media delivery technologies. Social networking sites are the most commonly recognized and discussed Web 2.0 properties, but Web 2.0 technologies also encompass a broad range of other sites, like Google and services such as SalesForce.com which are in common use by companies and organizations of all types and sizes today. One of the fundamental properties of Web 2.0 is its ability to deliver real-time, user-generated content in new and more powerful ways than traditional Web sites that deliver static content.

While many of these new types of Internet technologies are in wide use, the ability to secure and control their use is not as widely deployed. Many of the traditional IT security and control technologies simply do not address the risks associated with accessing dynamic content in real time via these new delivery systems.

• Network firewalls provide little protection as Web 2.0 relies primarily on standard HTTP and HTTPS protocols that simply can't be blocked without cutting off Web access.
  
• Traditional antivirus is limited to inspecting file transfers, and many of the greatest "drive by" threats encountered today are contained in browser scripts that are invisible to AV.
  
• Web reputation services alone are ineffective as some of the most valuable sites on the Web such as Google or Yahoo, have fallen victim to hosting malicious code, and simply blocking access to these sites is not an acceptable answer for most businesses.
  
• Simple URL filtering that blocks objectionable or time-wasting content based on the home page address of the Web site no longer works when sites now commonly aggregate information from multiple sources.
  

The way to address Web 2.0 threats that combines the best aspects of traditional security and control techniques is with new technology designed specifically to address the dynamic, real-time nature of Web 2.0. This paper describes how the Websense Web Security Gateway enables you to quickly and effectively implement a best practices approach to making Web 2.0 secure and effective.