Important Security Considerations for Your Business's Social Media Accounts

By Ginger Abbot

When managing your business’s social media, you must know all the potential risks and measures you can take to prevent the exposure of sensitive information. Cybersecurity threats are becoming more prevalent in our digital world, so you have to know what precautions you can take. 

The following steps will show you how to make sure your business’s social media is secure.

 

• Know the Common Culprits

You need to know where the greatest risks come from to keep your business’s social media accounts secure. Some are malicious while others are unintentional, but they all leave you vulnerable. Here are the main culprits:

• Unattended accounts: Don’t ignore unused or unmonitored social media accounts. Either update the security settings or delete them entirely.

• Third-party apps: Hackers can use vulnerable analytics applications and other third-party apps to access your social media accounts.

• Incomplete privacy settings: Some social media channels have more revealing privacy settings than others, which hackers can take advantage of.

• Compromised mobile phones: Cellphones can easily be lost or stolen, exposing you to a severe security threat.

• Phishing: Scams can persuade you or an employee to hand over sensitive information, like passwords.

• Imposter accounts: Anyone can impersonate a business by creating an imposter or “spoof” account with an identical username, posts and photos.

• Malware attacks: Hackers can slip past security measures and access your accounts for malicious purposes.

• Human error: You or an employee can simply click on a wrong link or accidentally leave your accounts logged in. Mistakes happen.

You might have noticed that all these common causes, with the possible exception of malware attacks, are largely avoidable with the proper diligence. You need to take all security considerations for your business’s social media into account.

 

• Check for Breaches Often

The easiest thing you can do to keep your account secure is to regularly check for breaches. One site that many organizations, including social media managers of federal government profiles, use to spot problems quickly is haveibeenpwned.com. Simply enter an email, username or phone number into the search bar, check the status and ensure your business’s social media is secure.

 

• Enable Multifactor Authentication

All your social media accounts should have several obstacles set up before you can access them. This feature, known as multifactor authentication, is available on most platforms. The process of logging in could look like this:

• Username/email
• Complex password
• PIN or personal ID number
• Answer to a personal question, such as, What was the name of your first pet?

Only you and the other employees who can access the accounts should know the answers. You can’t be too careful, so feel free to change the responses whenever you see fit.

 

• Change Your Passwords Often

A business’s social media accounts change hands among employees frequently, and minor tasks like password changes can easily get lost in the shuffle. Whenever a new worker gains access, change the password so only you and that person know it. 

Similarly, whenever an employee who had access to the accounts leaves, change the passwords and other authentication steps again. As a general rule, change all the passwords and notify the rest of the staff whenever you feel your accounts were compromised.

 

• Update Your Privacy Settings 

Privacy policies on social media change pretty often, so you should always stay up-to-date with the changes they make. About 28% of Americans who use social media don’t monitor their privacy settings, according to a 2017 study by Experian, needlessly leaving themselves exposed to cyber threats.

Log onto your profiles, go to account settings and play around with the features. Most social media apps give you a comforting amount of control over the following actions:

• Who can view your posts
• What posts you’re tagged in
• Who can send you friends/follow requests
• Who can see your friends list
• Who can look up your company’s email and phone number
• Who can link to your profile

These changes require little time and effort, so take a few minutes to update your privacy settings today.

 

• Streamline Your Social Media Connections

Many businesses want to gather as many followers as possible, but this goal can lead to heightened security risks. A security breach might have occurred if you notice scammers and other suspicious accounts begin to follow you. 

Monitor your followers’ activity and watch what kinds of people interact with your accounts. You could find a hacker laying the groundwork for a future breach. If you notice any suspicious followers or even spot any internet trolls, simply block them before they can do anything serious.

 

• Monitor All Channels for Security Risks

Hackers can access your social media accounts through all kinds of avenues, so you have to think in broader terms than multifactor authentication and unique passwords. Clever individuals can avoid those roadblocks and find sensitive information in other ways.

Monitor your personal social media and emails. Make sure every link you click on has the shield icon next to the UR so you only browse secure websites. Don’t share any sensitive information over direct messages. As the social media account manager, your actions largely dictate your brand’s reputation. Every post, comment and message should serve a practical purpose.

If you find yourself unable to keep up with the constant surveillance, consider investing in a paid virtual private network (VPN) to keep your browsing confidential and information secure.

 

Security for Business Social Media

Social media is an extremely valuable resource for connecting with customers and improving brand reputation. Still, it can leave your business exposed to severe security risks if you don’t manage your profiles with proper vigilance. 

Use all the resources available to you, put up as many barriers between you and the outside world as you can and constantly monitor your accounts to catch threats before they strike. These considerations will help secure your business’s social media and allow you to do your job with more peace of mind.

 

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