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It’s a common problem we’ve all seen before: An employee at work logs into their personal Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page to see an interesting video link shared by a “friend.”  Once they click the link, a virus spreads throughout their account and onto their computer.  As a reoccurring problem in the workplace, organizations are left struggling to find a way to manage social media sites.

With many Internet applications such as online social media outlets and web services, the line between corporate and personal usage has quickly distorted, causing an increase in data loss and malware outbreaks. Services such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn now pose a great threat in the workplace, despite their functionality and organizational benefits.

Facebook  has revamped the way its users share information with third-party applications and Web sites in an effort to make the process easier, the company said Wednesday.

With the changes, a new permissions box will pop up whenever a Facebook user installs a new application or first logs into an external Web site through their Facebook account, wrote Bret Taylor, the social-networking site's CTO, in a blog post.

About 550,000 applications work within Facebook and about 1 million Web sites are integrated with the site, Facebook said.

"In order for these applications and Web sites to provide social and customized experiences, they need to know a little bit about you," Taylor wrote. "We understand, however, that it's important you also have control over what you're sharing."

Hackers have flooded the Internet with virus-tainted spam that targets Facebook's estimated 400 million users in an effort to steal banking passwords and gather other sensitive information.

The emails tell recipients that the passwords on their Facebook accounts have been reset, urging them to click on an attachment to obtain new login credentials, according to anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc.

If the attachment is opened, it downloads several types of malicious software, including a program that steals passwords, McAfee said on Wednesday.

Hackers have long targeted Facebook users, sending them tainted messages via the social networking company's own internal email system. With this new attack, they are using regular Internet email to spread their malicious software.