Social media has become integral to our lives, connecting us with friends, family, customers, and the world. However, social media poses several cybersecurity risks that can compromise our personal and professional data, reputation, and safety. In this article, we will explore some of the common cybersecurity concerns of social media and how to protect yourself from them.
Phishing is a cyberattack that aims to trick users into revealing their sensitive information by impersonating a legitimate entity or person, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account details. Scams are similar but may also involve offering fake products, services, or rewards in exchange for money or information.
?Cybercriminals often use social media platforms to launch phishing and scam campaigns, as they can quickly reach many potential victims and exploit their trust, curiosity, or greed. For example, cybercriminals may create fake accounts or pages that mimic the official ones of celebrities, brands, or organisations and use them to send messages or post links that direct users to malicious websites or attachments. Alternatively, they may hack into the accounts of real users and use them to spread phishing or scam messages to their contacts or followers.
?Some of the common signs of a phishing or scam messages on social media are:
- They contain spelling or grammatical errors or use poor or unnatural language.
- They ask for personal or financial information or request to verify or update your account details.
- They urge you to act quickly or threaten you with negative consequences if you do not comply.
- They offer you something that sounds too good to be true, such as a prize, a gift, or a discount.
?To protect yourself from phishing and scams on social media, you should:
- Be wary of unsolicited or unexpected messages or posts from unknown or suspicious sources or from your contacts or followers that sound out of character.
- Please don't click on any links or open any attachments you are unsure about or that look suspicious or unfamiliar.
- Please only provide personal or financial information or enter your login credentials on any website or form you are redirected to from a social media message or post if you are sure it is legitimate and secure.
- Check the sender’s account, page, or profile’s authenticity and security by looking at their username, profile picture, followers, posts, and verification status. Contact them through another channel to confirm their identity and message if unsure.
- Report any phishing or scam messages or posts to the social media platform and block or unfriend the sender.
Malware is malicious software that can infect your device or network and cause various types of damage, such as stealing or deleting your data, spying on your online activity, or taking control of your device or account. Hacks are cyberattacks that aim to gain unauthorised access to your device, network, or account and use them for malicious purposes, such as spreading malware, stealing or leaking your data, or impersonating you.
?Cybercriminals often use social media platforms to distribute malware or launch hacks, as they can exploit the users’ curiosity, trust, or ignorance and take advantage of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses of the platforms or devices. For example, cybercriminals may use social media to send messages or post links that contain malware or lead to malicious websites or downloads or use social engineering techniques to trick users into revealing their passwords or installing malicious software.
Some of the common signs of malware or hacks on social media are:
- Your device or network becomes slower, crashes, or displays unusual behaviour or errors.
- Your social media account or profile shows activities you did not perform, such as sending messages, posting content, or changing settings.
- Your contacts or followers receive messages or posts from your account that you did not send, share, or contain malware or malicious links.
- You receive notifications or alerts from the social media platform or email provider that your account has been accessed from an unfamiliar device or location or that your password has been changed or reset.
To protect yourself from malware and hacks on social media, you should:
- Keep your device, network, and software updated and protected with antivirus and firewall software and scan them regularly for malware or suspicious activity.
- Use strong and unique passwords for your social media accounts and email and change them periodically. Do not use the same password for multiple accounts or services or share your password with anyone.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your social media accounts and email. 2FA/MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code or use another device or method to verify your identity when you log in or perform sensitive actions.
- Do not use public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks or devices to access your social media accounts or email; use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your online traffic and protect your privacy.
- Log out of your social media accounts and email when you are not using them, and do not allow your browser or device to remember your passwords or login details.
- Review your social media account and privacy settings and limit the information and activity you share or allow others to see or access. Refrain from accepting friends, following requests from unknown or suspicious sources, or joining groups or pages you need to become more familiar with.
- Report any malware or hack incidents to the social media platform and your email provider, and immediately change your password and security settings. If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact your contacts or followers and warn them not to open or click on any messages or posts you did not send or share.
Privacy and Data Security
Privacy and data security protect your personal and professional information and activity from unauthorised or unwanted access, use, or disclosure. Privacy and data security are essential for your safety, reputation, and identity and for the compliance and trust of your customers, partners, and stakeholders.
?Social media platforms pose several privacy and data security risks, as they collect, store, and share a large amount of your personal and professional information and activity, such as your name, email, phone number, location, interests, preferences, contacts, messages, posts, and more.
?This information and activity can be accessed, used, or disclosed by the social media platforms, their third-party partners or advertisers, or other users or entities for various purposes, such as marketing, research, analytics, or surveillance. Additionally, this information and activity can be exposed, stolen, or leaked by cybercriminals, hackers, or insiders through data breaches, hacks, or leaks and used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, fraud, blackmail, or harassment.
?Some of the common signs of privacy and data security issues on social media are:
- You receive targeted or personalized ads, offers, or recommendations from the social media platform or other websites or services based on your social media information and activity.
- You receive unsolicited or unwanted messages, calls, emails, or requests from unknown or suspicious sources or your contacts or followers that have been hacked or spoofed, ask for your information or money, or contain malware or malicious links.
- You find your personal or professional information or activity on other websites or services or the dark web that you did not authorise or consent to or need to be updated.
- You discover that your personal or professional information or activity has been exposed, stolen, or leaked by the social media platform or a third-party partner or advertiser, or by a cybercriminal, hacker, or insider through a data breach, hack, or leak, and used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, fraud, blackmail, or harassment.
?To protect your privacy and data security on social media, you should:
- Please read and understand the privacy policy and terms of service of the social media platform and any third-party partners or advertisers you use or interact with, and know what information and activity they collect, store, and share and how they use and protect it.
- Please review and adjust your social media account and privacy settings and limit the information and activity you provide or allow the social media platform or any third-party partners or advertisers to collect, store, and share, as well as how they use and protect it.
- Use encryption, anonymisation, or pseudonymisation tools or services like VPN, Tor, or Signal to protect your online traffic and privacy and prevent the social media platform or any third-party partners or advertisers from tracking or identifying you.
- Do not use or connect your social media account with any third-party apps, websites, or services you are unsure about or that request excessive or unnecessary permissions or access to your information or activity. If you do, review and revoke any permissions or access granted, and delete or uninstall them if you no longer use them.
- Do not post or share sensitive or confidential information or activity on social media, such as your personal or financial details, location, travel plans, work or business data, or customer or partner information. If you do, delete or edit them as soon as possible, and do not rely on the social media platform to remove or protect them.
- Monitor your social media information and activity, and check for any unauthorised or unwanted access, use, or disclosure. If you find any, report them to the social media platform and any relevant authorities, and change your password and security settings immediately. If you suspect your information or activity has been exposed, stolen, or leaked, contact your contacts or followers and warn them not to open or click on any messages or posts you did not send or share.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Social media is a powerful and valuable communication, collaboration, and creativity tool.
?However, social media also exposes us to cybersecurity risks that can threaten our personal and professional data, reputation, and safety. Therefore, we must be aware and vigilant of these risks and take appropriate measures to protect ourselves.
?Some of the common cybersecurity risks of social media are:
- Phishing and scams: Cybercriminals use fake or hacked accounts or pages to send messages or post links that trick users into revealing their sensitive information or?
- Money, or that contain malware or malicious websites.
- Malware and hacks: Cybercriminals use social media to distribute malware or launch hacks that infect or access users’ devices, networks, or accounts and use them for malicious purposes, such as stealing or deleting data, spying on activity, or taking control of accounts.
- Privacy and data security: Social media platforms collect, store, and share a large amount of users’ personal and professional information and activity, which can be accessed, used, or disclosed by the platforms themselves, their third-party partners or advertisers, or other users or entities, for various purposes, such as marketing, research, analytics, or surveillance. Additionally, this information and activity can be exposed, stolen, or leaked by cybercriminals, hackers, or insiders through data breaches, hacks, or leaks and used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, fraud, blackmail, or harassment.
?To protect ourselves from these cybersecurity risks, we should:
- Be wary of unsolicited or unexpected messages or posts. Do not click on links or open attachments.
- Do not provide personal or financial information. Do not enter login credentials on unknown websites.
- Check for authenticity. If necessary, contact them through another channel.
- Report phishing or scam messages.
- Keep our device and software updated. Use Anti-Malware on your device.
- Use strong and unique passwords, and change them periodically. Never share passwords.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Do not use public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks or use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt our online traffic and protect our privacy.
- Log out of our social media accounts and email when not using them.
- Review our social media account and privacy settings, and limit the information we share.
- Do not post or share sensitive or confidential information or activity on social media, such as personal or financial details, location, travel plans, work or business data.
- Monitor our social media information and activity and check for unauthorised or unwanted access, use, or disclosure.
By following these tips and best practices, we can enjoy the benefits of social media while minimising cybersecurity risks. We hope that this article has been helpful and informative for you and that you will share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. Thank you for reading, and stay safe online!
