Your social media accounts are more secure when you use two-factor authentication.
Use a different, strong password for every social media account you have, advises Romita Das.
Please note that the image was posted for representative purposes only. Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Social media isn’t what it used to be – a platform to share life events and memories and make new friends.
Once you subscribe to a network app, the influence is so great that it invades your daily life and activities, almost taking control of a large part of your life and time, and inspiring your decisions.
From connecting with our loved ones, looking for a job, sharing or receiving information, expressing our emotions by sharing pictures of a fun vacation, to sharing an inspirational post about life – Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp have access to many things that you do in your personal and professional life.
With approximately 4.55 billion active social media users worldwide and an increasing reliance on network apps, cybercrime has increased significantly.
Some of the most popular social networking platforms have hundreds of millions of account passwords stored on their servers which, if not encrypted, can compromise the privacy of your data.
Even though most social media platforms claim to provide security measures to protect user accounts, here are some tips that every individual should keep in mind to protect your privacy and personal information and protect yourself from scammers:
1. Enable multi-factor authentication and single sign-on
Your social media accounts are more secure when you use two-factor authentication.
A password that must be entered to access your social media account will be provided to you when someone logs in from a different location, device or browser.
This means that every time you sign up, you get an OTP on your phone that you need to enter into your device to access your social media accounts.
2. Use a strong password for your social media accounts
People use many social media accounts for different reasons. However, the security of your account is at risk if your password is weak or predictable.
If you use the same password for multiple accounts, hackers may be able to access all of your accounts through one.
Use a different, strong password for every social media account you have.
Your password must contain both upper and lower case letters, numbers, words and special characters.
Your password will be harder for hackers to guess the stronger it is.
3. 90 Day Rule
Since hacking is not a one-off process, experts say users should change their passwords every three months to make it difficult for attackers to crack the password.
And if someone tries to hack the account for a long time, he/she will not be able to figure out your real password.
4. Update your privacy settings and set up security responses
You can always limit your audience on social networking platforms. But many people have had to realize its importance.
Each user must examine, test and verify these settings.
5. Set up difficult security questions
One of the easiest ways to hack into your accounts is to lock your profile or reset your password.
To prevent someone from misusing your account, you can also set up interesting security questions to log in, edit or access profile data.
Use questions that are challenging for everyone, rather than standard questions like “What’s your mom’s name?” or ‘What is your hometown?’
6. Be careful what you share with whom
Avoid giving out personal information online as hackers and data mining companies pay big bucks to do so, including your email address, phone number and social security number.
Avoid sharing real-time information – for example, avoid uploading images when traveling to a new/unfamiliar location or attending a real-time event such as a wedding or other event.
Try to keep your social media profiles blank.
Anyone who needs to know your date of birth, email address, and phone number already has them. Take a close look at your profiles to understand how vulnerable your public data is.
7. Device Security and Endpoint Security
Your device and applications are safe when protected with updated antivirus and firewall protection.
Keep your devices updated with the latest antivirus solutions to improve your security and protect your system from bugs and malware.
8. Make sure to check friend requests and delete fake accounts
Social media platforms are full of fake accounts.
These fake accounts could belong to a hacker, a shady group, or even a rival who wants to keep tabs on your activities.
Only accept a friend request after reviewing it first.
It’s a good idea to report and ban profiles when someone upsets you.
9. Beware of unknown links
Avoid clicking on unfamiliar links from strangers; It could be a way to take over your account.
Change your password as soon as possible, especially if you receive a suspicious email or a suspicious login attempt.
10. Avoid accessing your social media accounts over Open WiFi
Other users on the network can see what you see and send when the network is unsecure.
You are signing in to an unencrypted website or a website that only uses encryption on the sign-in page.
Also, try to block your profile photo, keep your social media as private as possible and limit it only to your known friends.
Also, refrain from using untrustworthy social media filters from untrustworthy sources.
Do not accept connection requests from known sources. Keep your profile private.
And of course, last but not least, remember to log out when you’re done.
Stay alert to stay safe online.
Romita Das is Field Marketing Manager at InstaSafe Technologies, a cloud-based security services company.
