A new survey from the Ponemon Institute suggests that more than 80% of security administrators think that Web 2.0 applications such as social networking tools, widgets, instant messaging program weakens enterprise security. The findings also show that one in five security administrators think that employees rarely or never consider corporate security when downloading applications from the Internet, streaming video, or using peer-to-peer file-sharing sites.

More than 2,100 IT security administrators from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Australia responded to the survey.

"Our research finds security can be seen as an afterthought for corporate users of Web 2.0 applications; the growing number and sophistication of security threats, coupled with the proliferation of online and easily downloadable tools, is exacerbating the challenges of protecting sensitive information," said Larry Ponemon, the Ponemon Institute's chairman and founder, in a statement.

Also, about half of security managers said that minimizing risks from Web 2.0 applications is an urgent priority.

However, spending on Web 2.0 security technology lags. "While this is an issue that must be addressed through strategic investment in technology and awareness, our research also shows that most IT administrators do not believe their organizations have sufficient resources dedicated to securing critical web applications," according to Ponemon.