Since we live in the digital era, it is important to make sure that our data privacy and data security is under our control.
Social media statistics from 2019 says that an overall 3.5 billion of users are using social media worldwide and the number keeps growing rapidly. Social media usage has become an integral part of our life and we cannot deny that. For many, it has become the first thing that they check for in the morning. This shows how badly we are in the control of technology.
However, It is essential to keep a check on the data that we share on our personal social media handles. To prevent malicious attack on our social media accounts. Because of the rise in the bad actors that make involves in cyberattacks, we must be extra careful with what we share on social media. No matter the platform that we use to update the happenings of our life.
Data privacy is all about collecting, leveraging and governing the data from unauthorised third-party access while Data Security is about protecting the user information from malicious attack by means of methods, policies.
- Create strong and complex passwords:
Use two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication wherever possible. This increases your account security and enables different forms of verification before signing in to an application.
There are three kinds of authentication:
- Password or PIN
- Smartphone, token devices, smart cards
- Biometrics like Fingerprints, face detection, voice recognition to name a few.
2. Log out completely:
Your social media accounts will be kept logged in if not logged out manually after use. This lets your session open which can be misused by unauthorised person.
The repercussion of not logging out completely are as follows:
- Your account could get hacked.
- Your important files and documents could get tampered.
- Passwords can be changed without your knowledge.
To avoid the above-stated problems always cross-check twice if you have fully logged out of your accounts when using a public machine. If not, make sure you do it.
3. Be wary of the personal account privacy settings inside out:
Have a check on these settings since it gets updated every now and then. Also customize your account information based on the needs. You can choose whom your information is shared with by making changes to your accounts privacy settings.
For instance, on Facebook there is a feature where it asks if you want to display the post in your feed. This way you can be aware of what is being posted on your wall and what people will view in their feed from your account.
4. Train employees on social media best practices: Educate and conduct sessions for your employees on how to maintain their security and professionalism in the social media platforms. By doing so you can guarantee that your brand image doesn’t shed a bad light. And it will be a win-win for both employer and employees in this regard. Make sure that the employees data alongside the company’s data are protected. This will build trust between the employers and employees.
5. Verify company account privacy settings: Check company account’s privacy settings regularly since there are chances where someone could make changes by accident. There can be times when malware could gain access from an authorised user’s account. So regular check-ups is a safe bet. If something found inappropriate to change the privacy settings according to the norm. This will prevent the brand’s reputation from harm.
6. Perform security audit on company accounts: Conducting an internal security audit is essential to keep track of the company’s brand image to prevent from data breach. List out the possible threats that could occur over time and formulate a solution to it in prior. This way your company’s and customer data and other sensitive information can be kept safe from misuse.
7. Secure all devices: Protect your mobile devices from security threat as it is the easiest mode for any misconduct like data loss, unauthorised access etc. You can set strong and complex passwords, install anti-virus software to make sure that your data is protected.
8. Maintain your brand’s social accounts from any misconduct: To build and maintain brand identity, it is vital to show your brands social media presence. There a lot of digital platforms available online to showcase your brands voice depending on your target audience. You can leverage those channels to outperform your competitors and to project your uniqueness in the best possible way. Update your account’s password policy at a regular interval of time. This way the security breach can be avoided thus securing your brand’s identity.
9. Maintain third party tools: Use of Third-party app integration improves value to our products like those of customer relationship management, single sign-on capability so on and so forth. Due to not following proper security standards, this software are prone to vulnerabilities. When the company products are integrated with that software this can lead to unauthorised access by malicious programs.
10. Be aware of user access: Know when its safe to grant access to users and when to revoke access from them. Be wary of whom the publishing privilege is given to and know when to revoke the same from them. Most of the security vulnerabilities occur due to human error. So make sure that your security policies are updated time and again.
11. Make use of Single sign on (SSO): Single sign on is an authentication scheme where you can use a single login credential to sign in to multiple applications. This ensures easier login process but can also be of threat when a bad actor comes into play. Thus it’s better to contact the security team to have access to this functionality wherever possible.
12. Create and maintain an informed social media policy:
A social media policy ensures that the company’s brand image is not harmed. A set of guidelines on what is appropriate to post online and how to respond to other’s post is necessary to educate employees with regard to the company. A social media policy will let people know that they will be held liable in case of any misconduct. Thus the company’s reputation will not be at stake.
13. Think twice about what you post in your account: Once shared on social media it will be easy for people to access it even if you delete it afterwards. So be cautious of what you post online because we never know who might misuse our personal information. Not everybody needs to know about your intimate information so restrict posting to what is only required. Sometimes the freedom of expression could cause more harm than good.
Even the date of birth that you mention in our social media handles could lead to disarming threats since your DOB will be tied up with your important IDs like passport, driving license etc.
Not just that even your mentions on your social handles like your pets name, school you have been to, mom’s name etc will be most likely used to break the security questions that you would have answered to log into certain accounts.
14. Do not reveal your location:
Turn off location tracking in your phone since you’ll be carrying your smartphone with you wherever you go. Your phone will track all the places you have been to and you are at the moment. So it is better to Disable your location settings to keep threats at bay.
Author: Naveenya Gunasekar is a Content Writer and a Digital Marketer who loves to write about personal development, life and technology. To see more of her Write-ups, visit https://medium.com/@
