The fact is, anyone can be a target for hackers, and the bad news is there is still no such thing as an impenetrable social media account.
In the past few weeks, social media security has been at the forefront of people’s minds, with the latest string of account hackings hitting big organizations like the Associated Press, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours and the Onion just last month. There are several reasons why hackers are targeting big organizations. The main reason is they are followed by millions of people giving hackers access to all their followers.
But just because you don’t have millions of followers on your social media channels doesn’t make you less prone to an attack. The fact is, anyone can be a target for hackers, and the bad news is there is still no such thing as an impenetrable social media account. So how can you protect your accounts? Here are some key tips that will help you protect your brand and business from social media hackers.
Make Your Password Bombproof – That means paying attention to the password strength meter when setting up your passwords. Weak to medium password strength isn’t going to cut it when your company’s reputation is on the line. The best is to make sure the password strength is high. One way of getting a strong password is to choose a complex, but easy to remember password. Also, never save passwords on computers that are shared with other people, on a mobile device (it could get stolen or lost), post-its, spreadsheets or in emails.
Here are a few tips from Homeland Security on how to bombproof passwords:
- Don’t use passwords that are based on personal information like your birthday or pets names.
- Do consider the password strength and use a password with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols whenever possible.
- Do Use passphrases like “Thispasswordis4myemail!” to help remember complex passwords.
Review Apps and Add-Ons Regularly – Be sure to review all apps and add-ons associated with your social media accounts at regular intervals, as each app and add-on is a potential access point for a security breach. Remove apps and add-ons you no longer use. In the event the accounts become compromised, immediately revoke access of apps and add-ons to further protect your accounts.
Centralize Your Social Media Channels – Many large businesses have multiple social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Whenever possible, the best strategy is to centralize them all into one single tool such as HootSuite or Sprout Social. This way you can secure and protect your accounts by allowing access to only a few.
Social media is no longer a toy nor is it just a hobby. It has become the way to promote your brand to the world, and protecting that brand identity should be a major concern. The more security measures you put into place the better off your company brand will be.
Special Offer: Complimentary Consultation
Three Girls Media, Inc. is a public relations and social media management agency with teams in Silicon Valley and the Seattle area. We love working with small and emerging companies across the nation to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs.
Call 408-218-2391 or Contact us today to arrange yours!
Photo Credit: CarbonNYC