Most of us use social media on a daily basis without thinking much about the privacy or security of our interactions. In an individual setting, this makes us vulnerable. In a business setting, this makes us even more vulnerable. Should you be concerned about your social media security? And if so, what should you do about it?
Hackers also love social media because of the potential gateway to other platforms and other information. There’s always the chance that a mark will use the same password for social media that they use for everything else.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest reasons why social media can be a security threat:
Easy Accessibility
Social media is open and universally accessible, making it easy for cybercriminals to find targets and communicate with them. In a matter of minutes, you could have access to thousands of profiles, and you can send messages to most of those people about whatever you want.
Gullible and Vulnerable Individuals
Because the world of social media is so heavily populated, there’s necessarily a large population of gullible and vulnerable individuals. If you can find someone who isn’t very familiar with social media platforms, you can probably find a way to exploit them.
Exploitable Modules and Communication Channels
Social media is also easy to exploit because of exploitable modules and communication channels. If you get someone to use a specific social media app, click a link in your message, or engage with you in some other way, you can probably compromise their security.
The Potential Gateway
Hackers also love social media because of the potential gateway to other platforms and other information. There’s always the chance that a mark will use the same password for social media that they use for everything else.
So what steps can you take to improve your social media security?
If you own a business, make sure you incorporate social media security into your overall security strategy. Don’t neglect this important element of internal systems protection.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords (and Never Volunteer Them)
In your personal and professional life, always use strong, unique passwords. Strong passwords are those with a mix of different character types, including lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. The longer your password is, the better.
Additionally, there should be no easily discernible patterns – in other words, your password should look like a random, jumbled mess – and your password shouldn’t be used on more than one platform. Finally, never volunteer your password to anyone; no official representative of any legitimate business will ever ask you for your password.
Lock Your Screen
If you use social media on a mobile device, make sure you lock your screen. Your device will likely stay logged into social media by default, so if someone picks up your phone and the screen is unlocked, they’ll have free access to all your social media information.
Enable Stronger Security Features
Most social media platforms now offer a robust selection of different security features. But these are only going to help you if you utilize them. One notable example here is multifactor authentication; with a single click, you can turn on this setting and make it so no one can access your account unless they verify their identity in multiple ways. It might take a bit more time to log in after changing this setting, but cybercriminals will have no chance of accessing your account.
Review Your Privacy Settings
Take the time to review your privacy settings and change them if necessary. For example, you can make your profile and your posts hidden from the public. Unless you have a specific reason to make your profile public, it’s usually better to err on the side of privacy.
Be Aware of Common Scams
Understand that there are many common scams circulating throughout social media at all times. In addition, individual users can reach out to you, asking for your password or other specific information; understand what these phishing attempts look like and don’t buy into them.
Additionally, there should be no easily discernible patterns – in other words, your password should look like a random, jumbled mess – and your password shouldn’t be used on more than one platform.
Create a thorough social media policy for your employees, explaining how and when social media can be used. For example, you might restrict or outright ban the use of social media on company devices.
Train and Educate Your Employees
Make sure your employees understand the risks posed by social media – and that they know how to guard against them. Almost all of us love social media in at least some way, and we use it on an almost daily basis.
But that doesn’t change the fact that we all need to take social media security seriously. Thankfully, all it takes is a handful of better management strategies to decrease your chances of being a cybercriminal’s next target.
