Social Media And Security
Organizations have been coming up with ways to leverage the various social media sites to their benefit. How to market their business and services, how to make money and build their brand, and generally get the word out that they exist and they are a big player in the game. As with all things, there are inherent security problems and risks in using social media if protections are not in place.
In addition to the business information that is passed to the general public, there are a lot of other types of data that is posted, including personal information, texts, music, pictures, and more. Those seeking to do damage and steal information have a treasure chest and trove of data to choose from. Between the gaps in actual software development of these sites, and the social engineering that goes on, it is a perfect match for the individuals lurking in the shadows to do their thing and make you their latest casualty.
Two of the most recent popular sites are Facebook and Twitter. Facebook boasts a user base of over three hundred million, while Twitter states a monthly user base of fifty five million. That’s a lot of users, with many of them blindly posting personal information without realizing the consequences. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that security breaches involving Facebook and Twitter have been in the news. If you invent it, someone will discover a way to exploit it. Think of the celebrities who have had their Twitter accounts taken over and had posts that did not originate from them. Facebook has had its own problems with scams and users gaining entry into other user’s personal data.
Badly chosen passwords are a favorite hack of scammers and others seeking to perform harm. Using the same password on these sites, then choosing the same password for your banking and other serious links only invites trouble down the line. All it takes is someone discovering your social password, using your personal data posted in these sites, and once finding your banking information, testing the password against your bank account. You might as well hand them a blank check, signed and dated.
Posting far too much information is a bad thing. Stories of hackers using Google Earth, plus the information you post about your upcoming or current vacation in Europe, is an open invitation for someone to drive by your home, test the waters with a few phone calls, notice the missing car in the driveway, newspapers and mail piling up, and other signs you truly are not at home. Even something as harmless as geotagging your location in your posts alerts everyone you aren’t home. That also goes for posting birthdays, relative information and other family data. It invites identity theft. Timely information in this article bring awareness. The type of professional security awareness in CISSP CBT training. IT professionals seeking a lucrative and globally rewarding career in information security should locate sites such as training.
Organizations seeking to utilize social media sites should come with a user manual. How easy is it for an employee to post sensitive information about your company, either deliberately or accidentally? All it takes is an employee to set up an account that isn’t easily recognizable, with an innocuous name that can’t be connected to them. They can even disparage your company and brand without your knowledge.
Scammers create false profiles in order to gain your trust and eventual access. Next thing you know, you are giving them company confidential information, passwords, or clicking on malicious links that opens backdoors, inserts malware, or other nasty consequences. Some scams include the hot picture or video of a celebrity that is waiting for someone to click on it. Or celebrity insider information that contains links leading to a malware site or carries intrusion hacks. There is the fake logon screens, enticing you to enter your password and email address. The scam where a friend or relative is trapped in a foreign country without finances, requesting you to send them money is a popular one to avoid. How easy is it? Call the friend. They will probably tell you they are at home, wondering why you are calling them.
Let’s face it, sex sells. Anything that contains not safe for work information is an enticement for disaster. Just don’t do it.
Those polls and survey everyone asks for? Skip them. It is an excuse to collect your personal information, or a scam to get you to sign up for costly services without your knowing about it. No harm will come to you if you choose not to fill out a survey. Tweeting for cash and prizes, the person that sounds very stimulating and desires to meet in a chat room or messaging service, and other scams that play on your emotions are to be avoided. They are like the grocery store that places all of the colorful, sugar sweetened foods in plain sight, working on your emotions of gratification.
The examples given sound so simple to avoid, yet they constantly snare victims. Why? Because human nature takes over the common sense people should have, but fail to activate. Social media security policies need to be in place, with concrete rules and regulations to ensure workplace security. It all falls back to security awareness and training.
About Us: Next Generation Training is designed to provide the best training available. An enterprise learning library gives the ability of all access, all the time to businesses seeking to train their entire staff in every possible area. Windows 7 training presents the basic and advanced capabilities office staff needs to become extremely productive. Next Generation Training is your location for your training requirements.