HOW TO KEEP SAFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO KEEP SAFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
With the rise of integrated payment systems and applications, phone verification, and touch technologies, it’s more crucial than ever to learn how to stay secure on social media. When someone steals an account, they usually have access to the victim’s bank or credit card information, home or work addresses, and other sensitive information that might be exploited to steal their identity.
These will assist you in staying safe on social media.
Protect Your Information from Social Media Phishing and Scams by Using Privacy and Security Settings
To improve social media safety measures, social media accounts provide a variety of security and privacy options to allow users to two-factor verify their accounts and safeguard who may see the information.
Facebook boasts some of the most advanced security features, including settings that allow users to change how their profile and information are viewed by various groups of friends. To avoid social media phishing and social media fraud, restrict your account to a select few extremely close friends, or don’t share sensitive information like baby photographs at all.
What information should users keep private and only share with their closest friends?
Details about your place
Addresses at home or at work
Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, birth dates, and other personal information
Why? On bank financial platforms and other websites, even a user’s hometown, family name, and birthdate might be utilized to answer privacy questions. Users are vulnerable to social media fraud if their information is not kept secret.
1. Use strong passwords and secure accounts to be safe on social media.
Strong passwords will prevent online accounts from being hacked, which will assist a lot with identity theft, social media fraud, and hacker account takeovers.
Tips for creating a strong password include:
Use an unusual combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Have a minimum of ten characters
Every six months, change your password.
Most individuals may benefit from utilizing a password manager, which will take care of this form of security for them and eliminate the need to remember passwords. It’s also a good idea to use distinct passwords for each of your accounts so that if someone gains access to one, they won’t have access to the rest. This will improve your capacity to stay safe on social media across all apps.
2. Keep Control Over Your Friends and Followers
Friendship and follower invitations are sent to everyone. However users should be selective about who they accept. Strangers adding you, for example, might be aiming to swindle you, while others could be bots. It’s one less thing to worry about if a user can trust the folks on their friends list.
What should users definitely avoid?
Accounts that contain no information
Accounts with a small number of friends
Accounts that begin sending you messages with no apparent reason, typically in bad English Accounts that begin sending you links, offering stuff, requesting investment, or promising love
Most social media sites, such as Instagram and Facebook, are now investing significant time and resources to safeguard their users from bots and social media frauds. However, to be secure on social media, users should constantly exercise caution while accepting friend requests and connecting with people.
3. Be cautious of phishing and social media scams.
Scams on social media and phishing on social media are two of the most prominent issues on these platforms nowadays. The URLs used in these sorts of assaults are typically designed to steal your identity, steal money, or propagate a bot or virus to your network of co-workers, friends, and family.
The following are examples of phishing and scams:
Chain letters
Requests for money are frequently made by friends who have recently joined you to a new account.
Links to quizzes and games that ask for your phone number or financial information.
Click-bait article names and links to photographs that lead you off the network (likely phishing scams)
Shortened URLs are a type of link that may be exploited to hide spyware and viruses.
To work from home and earn money, you must pay a one-time charge.
Winnings from sweepstakes and lotteries (these are never distributed through social media, even if you play)
Unexpected romantic interests requesting funds.
Unexpected romantic interests have approached you with a request for finances.
Some of these social media scams are innocuous, while others may be used to steal a significant amount of data and money. It’s critical to be cautious, to double-check everything before clicking on it, and to be cautious about when and how users provide information to third-party websites.
4. Do your research before you click and provide data.
Users should do their study before accepting, clicking, or sharing digital material on social media to remain secure. This entails paying attention to what’s being communicated and shared, analysing sources, and investigating anything that appears odd or suspect.
If a friend begs for money under dubious conditions, for example, you may follow up by phoning them to inquire about their request. For instance, if a friend you believed was already a Facebook connection joins you, you may phone them to inquire about it. This may seem weird at first, but it will help you avoid difficulties like hacking, spamming, and phishing. Similarly, if you come across some amazing news from a website you’re unfamiliar with, it’s nearly always best to conduct your own Google search rather than clicking on a link. If you’re being asked to fill out data for a quiz, you may look it up online to determine if it’s valid (or better yet, never give information to a quiz app).
Even when scam methods develop and grow more complex, taking the time to look into items that are suspicious or even somewhat doubtful can assist users and their friends and family stay secure on social media.
5. The Concluding Statement
The internet, and especially social media, can be a hazardous place. The best method to secure yourself online is to protect your data and to utilize the security options given by the app to govern how and where you share data. You should also monitor your social network accounts regularly, reset passwords, and review any applications or plugins that have access to your account to ensure long-term security. If you’re aware of the hazards and take efforts to reduce them, the internet may be pretty secure.
UK Cyber Security Group Ltd is here to help
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If you would like to know more, do get in touch as we are happy to answer any questions. Looking to improve your cybersecurity but not sure where to start? Begin by getting certified in Cyber Essentials, the UK government’s scheme that covers all the technical controls that will provide the protection that you need to help guard against criminal attacks. Or just get in touch by clicking contact us