As humans we love to interact with each other, in person and online. Email, video, social media, messenger apps, gaming and many others methods allow us to interact and share information with people around the world in real time.
Social media is one method that people use a lot. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great ways to stay in touch with friends and share information with them. It is important to remember, these services are public, and if you are not careful with how you use these apps it can be a great way for attackers to gather information about you and potentially take advantage of your or your friends.
When using social media there are a few tips that we should all utilize:
Keep private information private: Never post information that can disclose more about your identity such as email address, phone number, address, etc. In addition, don’t share more subtle information like your mother’s maiden name or favorite teacher as this can lead to your account security questions being answered by a cybercriminal.
Share with care: Before posting anything, think about whether or not the post can disclose more information than you would like. It may be great for your friends to know your trip itinerary, see pictures of the locations you are at or see the expensive purchase you just made but this information could be used maliciously by criminals.
Review and watch your friend list / connections: Monitor your existing connections to find and remove any suspicious profiles. Be cautious of friend requests from people you already have connections with, as this could be a sign their account has been compromised or a fake account was set up.
Check your account security settings: Make it a habit to review your social media account privacy and security settings periodically, as they may change without your consent or knowledge.
Protect your password: Be sure to use complex and unique passwords for every account you have. Use a password manager to store and protect these. If an application has multi-factor authentication, use it as it adds a second layer of defense.
A little due diligence and caution can go a long way in protecting your presence on line.
Additional insight to help protect you
To learn more about how you can protect yourself online we encourage you to read our other articles and articles from GetCyberSafe.ca
plus visit Bell.ca/security for more in depth information.
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