Staying safe on social media
Social media can be a fantastic place to network, promote your business and products and to share information. However, cybercriminals often look to social media to exploit weak passwords or gain information. Here is our guide to staying safe on social media.
Strong Passwords
A strong password is essential for staying safe on social media. Weak passwords can often be the window cybercriminals use to gain access to social media accounts. This means they can access any information posted or stored on the site. Make passwords complex and don’t include personal or widely known information such as your name or office address. Enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible to ensure maximum security. This means having two or more layers of protection, for example a password and an additional PIN number sent to your mobile phone.
Use different passwords for each social media platform. This will ensure that if one account is compromised it will limit the potential risks across other accounts. For more tips on how to create and maintain strong passwords for your business, click here.
Don’t Share Personal Information
You wouldn’t stick a poster with all of your bank details on in a busy shop window, so why put them on social media? Lots of businesses are now using social media to help advertise their products and services, which can be a great tool to help get your brand noticed. While it may be easier to tick a box and save your bank details for the next time you run a campaign, we recommend that you do not do this. If for some reason your account is compromised, all of this information could be taken and used elsewhere. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Be wary of any details you choose to link to your social media accounts. If it isn’t direct contact or banking details, it might be personal details that could be used to guess a password or work out your security questions.
Privacy Settings
Privacy settings are there to keep you safe. Most social media sites allow you to decide what information is public or private on your account, including contact details and locations.
We recommend checking your settings regularly to ensure your privacy is respected even when the platform changes its rules. All platforms should inform you if anything changes with their privacy policies, but it is best to keep an eye on it yourself and manage what information is publicly available.
Keep Antivirus Up-to-date
Treat social media like you would any other website or app that can be subject to attack by cybercriminals. Make sure your antivirus programmes are up to date on all devices across your network. You may not think antivirus software does very much, but it is constantly running in the background, working hard to keep you safe.
Social media sites can be informative and helpful, but some individuals will use these channels to share fake news and bad links. Using an antivirus software will help protect you from straying into dark corners of the worldwide web.
Social media can be a great platform for businesses; however, there are risks and individuals that exist who will try to exploit these channels. The best way to ensure you and your employees are staying safe on social media is to regularly update training so everyone knows how to spot suspicious activity and is comfortable reporting it. Make sure you have a social media policy in place to make employees aware of best practices while using these channels.
For more information on how to keep your business safe, get in touch with a member of our team here.
