Should Instant Messaging be allowed, allowed under controlled conditions, or prohibited within an organization?
A. Organizations have taken varying steps to manage the use of instant messaging (IM) and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Some agencies have blocked IM and IRC use at the firewall due to the inability to centrally control new vulnerabilities presented by the software manufacture. Other organizations allow the use of IM internally. There are several products that can be configured for internal use only; A Lotus Notes’ product called SameTime and the Jabber Inc. product, called Jabber. An article describing IM and the security challenges it introduces can be found at: http://www.infosecuritymag.com/2002/aug/cover.shtml.
