Social media accounts are attractive targets for hackers: Data shows that corporate social media account takeover attempts occur nearly 30 times per year on average for every institution. Small businesses may be even more at risk because hackers believe they don’t have the knowledge or resources to properly secure their social media accounts. Mitigate the risk of a social media account takeover by taking these steps to protect your accounts.
[Read more: How to Keep Your Social Media Accounts Secure]
Steps to protect your social media accounts
Set strong passwords
The number one thing you can do to secure your social media accounts is to set strong, unique passwords for each platform. This is the single best way to make sure your account stays impenetrable, yet it’s also the one thing that many users neglect — often reusing old passwords, using the same password for multiple accounts, or choosing something that’s easy to guess.
If you struggle to come up with unique passwords, use a password manager tool. These software providers are like digital vaults where you can keep all your login credentials safe and organized. You only need to remember one master password to access all your stored passwords and generate new ones.
Use 2FA or MFA
What’s better than a secure password? Adding two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA) to your login process. These measures require users to provide multiple forms of identification to access an account. 2FA, for instance, involves using a password (something you know) and a time-based one-time password (OTP) generated by an app on your smartphone (something you have). As the name suggests, MFA requires more than two factors to authenticate your identity.
[Read more: What is Multifactor Authentication?]
In addition to training to avoid phishing and other scams, you should create and enforce a social media policy that everyone in your organization follows.
Make your profile private
While this advice may not apply to your business profiles, consider making your personal social media profiles private. “Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others give you the option of making your profile and posts visible to friends only,” wrote McAfee. “Choosing this setting keeps the broader internet from seeing what you’re doing, saying, and posting, which can help protect your privacy.”
While it's important to maintain a strong online presence, keeping personal social media accounts private can also help you protect your reputation, enhance your privacy, and separate your work from your personal life.
Keep your team informed
There are constantly new threats emerging online that your business needs to be aware of. For example, the last few years have seen the rise of ransomware as a service (RaaS), a nefarious twist on the software as a service (SaaS) business model. In response, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched a portal dedicated to helping businesses learn about ransomware. Utilize these resources to provide training to your team about the current threat landscape and stay informed as threats on social media evolve.
Review your privacy settings
Different social media platforms offer different levels of advanced privacy controls. Facebook, for instance, allows users to review posts that are tagged with their profile names. Explore the privacy settings available in each social media platform to make sure you’re utilizing the best security options possible. Here are a few pages to help you get started:
Enforce a social media security policy
In addition to training to avoid phishing and other scams, you should create and enforce a social media policy that everyone in your organization follows. Develop clear guidelines for your business social media accounts, expectations for professional conduct, and appropriate content. Follow the principle of least privilege (PoLP) and only give access to those who need it for their daily work. Additionally, develop a comprehensive incident response plan to address social media security breaches effectively. These measures can help you minimize risk for your account as well as protect your business reputation.
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