By JUSTIN GOLDEN
Companies continue to find new uses for social media to communicate, generate awareness and ultimately secure new business, but there are risks to using those platforms. The clarion call to all users of social media, be it individuals or companies, is to be careful out there. Your personal information and brand are at stake.
Recently, two well-known companies had their reputations briefly affected on social media. Burger King’s Twitter account was defaced. Its image was changed to McDonald’s arches. About the same time, Jeep’s Twitter account was altered so it read that Jeep had been sold to Cadillac.
On CNBC, Uptin Saidi wrote about Proofpoint, a cybersecurity solutions firm seeing a significant increase in fake retail banking and retail customer service accounts “phishing” (email that appears to be from a legitimate organization). These breaches are becoming more prevalent on Twitter and Facebook.
David Redmond of Proofpoint said, “As more businesses adopt social media to address customer concerns, other people with bad intentions are also watching.”
The FBI advises there is a vulnerability on social networking sites. There are risks involved. When you post information to a social networking site, it is no longer private. Even when using high security settings, friends or websites may inadvertently leak your information. Your personal information could be used against you and your company.
Use the S.A.F.E. method to improve the security of your social media accounts.
S: Secure your password – People are still using “1,2,3,4,5” and “password” as passwords.
A: Account Awareness – Hacks don’t always come from the outside.
F: Follow privacy policy changes – Most social platforms like Twitter and Facebook adjust their privacy policies and security settings often.
E: Educate your company – It’s in your best interest to school yourself and employees on basic social media education.
Golden Technology Services, Inc. helps clients improve their cybersecurity. Contact them at 972-679-9738 or info@gtscloud.com.
