Staying Cyber Safe on Social Media
We often see cyber security attacks on the news, but the reality is, cyber-attacks always happen when you least expect them. And when they happen, they happen quickly to anyone or any organization. We especially aren’t always thinking about how our own social media accounts can leave us vulnerable to social engineering attacks. This week, the Education and Centre of Excellence is here to help you learn about cyber security vulnerabilities on social media and how to stay cyber safe!
What Makes You Vulnerable on Social Media?
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Posting revealing information about your personal and
professional life
This can help threat actors gather data for social engineering attacks on you or your organization.
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Skipping through privacy policies
Not reading privacy policies for social media platforms will leave you uninformed on how and if your information is being protected.
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Keeping profiles public and accessible to everyone
Allowing anyone to have access to your profile makes it easier for threat actors to gather personal or company information from your profile.
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Engaging with all content without vetting it first
Not vetting whether or not links are safe and reliable to click can lead to malware or ransomware attacks.
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Using social media on public Wi-Fi hotspots
Public Wi-Fi is a common location for attackers to access your data and information. Attackers use public Wi-Fi networks to intercept data and inject malware into the connected devices.
Social Media Best Practices
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Manage your privacy and security settings
Managing your privacy and security settings will help you control who sees and has access to your social media content.
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Be aware of who follows your account
Only engage with people you know.
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Be cautious of what you are posting
Am I releasing any private information about myself or my organization?
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When in doubt, don’t post it
If you feel hesitant about posting certain information, keep it private.
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Click links with caution
Social media accounts are regularly breached. Look out for language, content, or behaviour that is out of the norm.
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Keep up to date on privacy policies
Be aware that privacy policies can change and keep up to date on how they impact you or your organization.
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Use social media on a secure Wi-Fi network or personal cellular
data
Only use hotspots or networks that are trusted, and password protected.
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Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Use MFA when possible, for your social media accounts.
