US marines have been blocked from accessing Web 2.0 sites on the Corps' own network, pending a review of security.

The Corps is reported to have forbidden access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace while it draws up a waiver system for permitting access during the course of work. The ban is expected to last a year.

However, the brass is concerned about the potential for viruses and malware living on these sites to infect the department's computers through the network. There is also concern that sensitive information could be released online, potentially compromising operations and security.

The ban does not apply to marines accessing social networks privately.

In a statement, the Marines told the Associated Press that the "very nature of social networking sites creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage."

According to the order that banned access to social networks: "These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries." ®

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