Security firms Sophos and F-Secure have both launched security tools designed to help users of social networking sites and applications better protect themselves and their organisation.

Sophos’ Social Media Threat Beaters is available now and is pitched at over-burdened IT managers who want to protect their enterprise systems while at the same time allowing users to take part in social networking.

According recent research by Sophos, almost three-quarters of firms are concerned about their workers’ behaviour on social networking sites. To address this, Social Media Threat Beaters includes a range of tools and tutorials to help staff avoid many of the pitfalls of using social media, Sophos said.

F-Secure, meanwhile, has launched a new initiative called the “Twitter Safety Movement” in a bid to help limit the spread of phishing attacks on the microblogging site.

F-Secure said that although Twitter was using its own URL shortener to mitigate the threat of phishing attacks being launched through tweeted links, this was not enough.

“F-Secure claims that the same tools that criminals use to rapidly spread their frauds can be used to protect against these phishing scams, and in order to be an active force for safety on Twitter, F-Secure is starting the ‘Twitter Safety Movement’,” it said in a statement.

To avoid falling victim to attacks, F-Secure recommends that users follow Twitter’s spam and safety alerts, check all links before opening or sharing them, and report any scams that they encounter immediately.