A report which has been released through IT security company Sophos, has shown that businesses are suffering more attacks from social media networks.

Sophos has found a number of firms worldwide have been attacked through social networking sites used by their employees.

502 firms were surveyed for the report which showed 57 percent of respondents saying they had received spam messages via the virtual communities; a 71 percent rise from 2008.

Over 35 per cent of users claimed to have received software worms, viruses and other security threats through the sites.

Most firms surveyed said they feared that everyday socialising on the Internet by their employees had led to serious exposure to industrial espionage.

The businesses said sensitive corporate data had been made more vulnerable as they had not been able to block the social networking sites, which had become a vital part of marketing and sales strategies.