Here are social media security best practices that every employee should know.
Social Media Security Best Practices
1. Be careful of what you post.
Don’t post information about any company or asset that could be considered sensitive.
However, if you do, don’t post when you’re on the job.
Also, don’t post anything when you’re on vacation, sick, or in any other circumstance where your judgment could be affected.
2. Use a secure device.
Your employer probably provides you with a smartphone and tablet, but you should still secure your own devices.
If you use your own devices, install security applications such as anti-theft and firewall software.
3. Change your passwords regularly.
A lot of companies have policies that force employees to change their passwords every 30 or 90 days. So if your company doesn’t, do it yourself every three months.
Also, don’t make your passwords obvious or easy to guess. Use a combination of case-sensitive letters and numbers, and include words and phrases that aren’t related to you. Don’t use the same password on different accounts. Use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
Check out the social media profiles of anyone you’re connected to through your professional network. Besides, if you see anything questionable, unfriend or block them.
Don’t comment on any of their posts unless it’s related to work, and if so, do so privately. Don’t post anything personal on your professional profil
Think about adding someone as a friend or connection on social media if they work for a competitor or for an organization that has been the target of a cyber attack.
Use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
Two-factor authentication will protect your accounts from hackers. Whenever a company offers a two-factor option, use it.
6. Be careful with public Wi-Fi.
Many companies allow their employees to use public Wi-Fi to access company information. Use a virtual private network (VPN) with your company’s VPN software to encrypt all your internet communications. Change your passwords as often as you can on public Wi-Fi to prevent hackers from being able to steal them from you.
Social media security best practices for businesses:
Businesses should create a policy that states that all employees should not be using social media at work. However, if the business must use social media, then it should provide its employees with training.
The training should inform the employee of the security risks involved with social media and the steps they can take to be more secure on it. Some businesses today offer their employees courses in social media security and privacy. Such courses provide training regarding security issues and how to use social media securely.
Businesses should also inform their clients and customers of the risks involved with social media, and encourage them to keep their personal information safe. Businesses can do this by putting a disclaimer on their website stating that they are not responsible for the content posted by their clients or other users on their site. They can also post a link to a page that informs them about the risks involved with social media, such as phishing attacks, other types of identity theft, and other cybercrimes.
Companies should make sure that they have a plan in place for what they will do if a data breach occurs on any of their accounts. They should have a plan for how they will notify any affected individuals if a breach happens, what kind of information will be given out, and what to do if an affected individual has questions or concerns about it.
