Social media is a tremendous resource for connecting people and spreading ideas. However, in such a large marketplace of information, one must be cautious that they are not giving away personal information that cybercriminals can use to enhance their social engineering scams. Even random or seemingly banal information can be utilized in social engineering. Below are several recommendations to help protect your information on social media platforms.
Privacy Settings: All social media platforms have privacy settings that users can configure to determine who can view their posts and information. Take time to review these settings in each platform you use. These settings can vary from platform to platform and should be reviewed carefully for each one. You should only share your posts and make connections with those you trust. If you feel the need to share posts with everyone, be sure to review your posts for information you wouldn't want to be made public.
Suspicious Activity: Social media platforms employ staff to monitor and remedy malicious activity. Given the size of social media networks, this is a difficult task. They often rely on their user base to help point them in the right direction. If you see suspicious or malicious activity, make sure to use the social media's report features.
Device Security: People access and post on social media from all manner of devices. From computers to phones to wearable devices, all these access points to social media are also possible access points for bad actors. Always lock your devices and run up-to-date anti-malware/anti-virus programs. If your device is ever lost or stolen, most social media platforms have options to log out of other devices.
Same Tactics, Different Look: Phishing attempts are very common on social media platforms. Tweets, posts, and direct messages can all be vessels for phishing attempts. Like email phishing, scammers will attempt to extract personal information from these messages and posts. Causal messages and comments can also be used to gather information. Only respond to messages from people you trust. If a message looks suspicious, report it to the platform administrator using the report options.
Remember, It’s Probably There Forever! Although social media platforms provide the capability to remove posts, they are often still accessible and retrievable. Even if posted for a minute or two, someone most likely viewed it. There are several services that back up Internet-related materials, so there’s always a chance deleted posts can return. It’s always important to think before you post!