Social
media is an ever evolving – the main sites are continually trying to enhance
the user experience. Businesses use it to market their companies and connect
with their customers. Individuals use it to connect to others and their
favourite businesses. Like most things social networking was created to improve
our lifestyle but also has its own side effects. In this case social networking
has the ability to put you at risk if not used properly.
Many
of my clients over the past 3 years have come to me with some considerable
wariness about the loss of control of social media, and so they should. Its
what we do.
Given
all the distress I’ve seen about the Talk Talk identity theft situation over
the weekend, I thought I’d share my thoughts on staying safe using social
media.
It's
longer than my normal posts, but it's important, so please take some time
review and share with your colleagues.
1. Have
A Brilliant Password
Passwords
were created to protect your personal account. Having a difficult password
would do just that and make it hard for someone to hack into your account.
Are
you using a simple password such as 123abc? Do you have your password written
in multiple places? Or do your online accounts have unique and strong
passwords?
If
your current passwords are simple you don’t need to worry, you can always
change them.
Heartbleed is a recently discovered
Internet bug that has put a bright spotlight onto passwords. The bug caused
most websites, even the most secure ones, to be vulnerable to hackers,
potentially exposing user names and passwords for your online accounts. No
matter how secure your passwords were, you need to change them for sites that were affected by Heartbleed.
2. Don’t
Share Personal Information
If
you share your personal information such as your address and phone number on
social media, you open yourself up to all sorts of issues.
It
is very easy for someone to steal your identity and pretend to be you if they
have access to your name, date of birth, place of residence and phone number.
Keep
identification data off social media, except in secure fields where it is
necessary to share it.
3. Be
Aware Of Fake Friends
As
a business owner with a wide network of
contacts, an unknown friend request can be a common occurrence. But before I
accept any friend request from someone that isn't familiar, I do my best to
verify the person's identity.
If you have a business page on Facebook it’s more likely administered
through your personal account, accepting an unknown person can put your business
page in jeopardy.
Not all unknown friend requests are malicious; they may be from
potential customers, people who are interested in your business or old friends. The easiest way to vet the person behind the
friend request is to get in touch directly. Send the person a direct message,
mention you don't recognize their name and politely request that they explain
how they know you.
4. Make
Use Of The Security Settings
Online
security is an essential safety measure for anyone using the web.
In 2012, senior tech
reporter Mat Honan lost more
than a year's worth of pictures of his newborn daughter after
his Google and Amazon accounts were hacked. Following the
attacks Internet companies are increasingly moving toward two-step verification
policies. The new verification policy requires a user to enter a security code
in addition to a password when logging in from an unrecognized device. The
security code is usually sent via text to a mobile device.
The “two-factor authentication," security measures in
place. Both Facebook and Twitter has taken
different directions when it came down to where the "two-factor
authentication," will be on their site.
Facebook's version of two-step verification is login approvals. To
enable Login Approval, go to Settings > Security > Login
Approvals and enter your phone number. Once you've enabled the
function, Facebook texts you a security code every time someone tries to access
your account from an unknown browser.
Twitter click the Gear icon in the top-right corner to access
the Settings menu. Scroll down until you see "Account security" and
check the box that says "Require a verification code when I sign in."
Before you set up two-step verification on Twitter, you must confirm your email
address and add a phone number to your account.
5. Don’t
Click On Unknown Links
The
best security software can’t protect you from the headaches you’ll encounter if
you click an unsafe link. Unsafe links are masked with normality using
shortcuts to funny videos, shocking news stories, awesome deals, or “Like”
buttons, but are really designed to steal your personal information or hijack
your computer. They appear to be normal everyday links to the point that your
friends can unknowingly pass on unsafe links in emails, Facebook posts, and
instant messages.
You’ll
also encounter unsafe links in website ads and search results. Sometimes a link masks the website to which it links.
If you hover over a link without clicking it, you’ll notice the full URL of the
link’s destination in a lower corner of your browser.
6.Educate
Yourself
If you've been using media for as little as two hours, you have probably
noticed that things change fast and without warning. No matter your reason for
using social media, it's important that you continually educate yourself on social
media.
Having
some sort of education in social networking puts you ahead of the game and
helps you tackle problems appropriately. Prevention is better than cure, have
you also heard of that saying? Having a rough estimate of what could go wrong
when networking is very handy because if it does happen to you it won’t be
something new or unexplainable.
7. Maintain
A Good Reputation
Everyone
strives to stand out online but there are two ways this could happen ether with
a good reputation or a bad reputation. The Internet doesn't censor your life or
filter out items you don't want other people to see. If a client
enters your name into Google, the search engine will deliver the most relevant
results.
Be
proactive in guarding your privacy and your reputation. This process can be
time-consuming, but dedicating time every week to finding and removing dubious
content is well worth the effort. For example, if you’re tagged in an
questionable photo on Facebook, you can remove the tag yourself. If for any reason
you can't remove the tag, nicely ask your friend to do it.
Joining
professional sites, such as LinkedIn, create a business fan page on Facebook
and write a blog. You can connect all of them together through links and
favourites lists.
8. Signs
Your Account Has Been Hacked
You
may not know for sure if your account was hacked, especially if this is
something you haven’t seen or experienced yet, but there are tell-tale signs of
a hacked account. Here are few indications to keep an eye out for:
- Unexpected posts from your
account
- Unexpected private messages
sent from your account
- Unexpected email notification
from the site stating that you recently made changes to your account
- Other behaviours you didn’t
make or approve (liking, friending, following, unfollowing, or blocking,
for example)
Keep
in mind that unexpected posts can sometimes happen due to a new app you’ve
installed, which you’ve given permission to post to your account.
9. Know
What Action To Take If Your Account Was Hacked
If you
notice that your account has been intruded, there are a few things you’ll need
to do:
- Scan your
computer for malware
- If you find malware, remove it
and follow procedures for recovering from identity theft
- Change your password on the
hacked site
- Revoke permissions for any
third-party apps and services
- Change your password on
any other sites where you used the same username and password
- Report any spam or scams that
have been sent out from your account to the social networking site, so
they can help stop it from spreading
- Notify friends and family
(especially if the hack was due to malware, or unexpected messages or
posts include potentially-malicious links)
- If you cannot follow any of
these steps because your account details have been changed, you will need
to contact support for the website that provides your account so
that you can regain control
10. Know
What To Post
Have
you had to scrap something together, but felt you were not being creative or
original, and your posts received no response from followers? You don’t need to
worry, you’re not alone. This is a common problem for social media managers and
anyone else who needs to tackle day-to-day social marketing. If someone tells
you to “just post something” or “do social media,” you may find yourself
wondering what to do.
It
can be very tempting to post anything that comes into your mind. It might seem
like a good idea but it isn’t always. You’re entitled to your own opinion but
do it in moderation and with caution. Don’t post something your mother or
youngest child wouldn’t find pleasant.
Posting
things like “I hate my job,” isn’t good in many ways. Even
if you do hate your job, keep it to yourself and your family or close friends.
Don't tell the world, because the wrong person is probably going to see your
post, it could be your employer, client or co-worker.
Remember
you have a reputation to keep. I hope you have find this tips helpful.
No comments:
Post a Comment