Stay Safe On Social Media

We are nearing the end of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) and we wanted to save the best for last. Social media is something that most of us (in one way or another) use daily. In fact, at least 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site!¹ 

Would it be safe to say that you check at least one social media platform a couple times a day? What about posting to those sites? Most of us don't often think of the risks associated with utilizing a social media platform to share the details of our lives. Unfortunately, whether you think about these risks or not, they still exist. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) said it best, "With every social media account you sign up for, every picture you post, and status you update, you are sharing information about yourself with the world."¹ 

With that being said, let's talk about oversharing on your social media accounts. We share detailed accounts of our everyday lives on various platforms, sometimes in a simple post with just text and sometimes with a ton of pictures or videos through stories. One of the main benefits of sharing pieces of our lives is that it gives our friends and family a way to easily know what’s going on in our world. But on that same note, it potentially allows cybercriminals and strangers the same juicy information that can be used against you. So, the next time you pop on to your Facebook to ask your friends if they know of a good pet sitter for December 20th - 27th, think twice. By sharing online that you need a pet sitter and providing the exact dates, you have automatically opened yourself and your family members up for potential vulnerability.

This example is a perfect segue into privacy settings! A lot of social media users never adjust their privacy settings within the platforms they are utilizing. I am sorry to say that I was one of them until I learned my lesson the hard way. Even if you have your posts set to only share with friends only (which I did), there are so many other avenues that strangers can take to access parts of your profile. A couple easy ones are your list of friends, common friends, and featured photos. However, sometimes navigating the privacy controls within each platform can be overwhelming. So, here are some links to popular platforms that can assist you in tailoring your profile settings. Read them. 👏 Digest them. 👏 Implement them. 👏 Just a few words of advise from someone who experienced a huge invasion of privacy due to a lack in privacy settings.

Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Instagram   |   LinkedIn   |   Snapchat

Also, don't just adjust your settings once and say you're good to go. Social media platforms change their privacy policies and settings frequently without warning. It is recommended that you check your account settings a few times a year. This will allow you to verify your current settings and take advantage of any additional or new settings that have been added. 

Did you know that:¹

We all have a lot of points of vulnerability in this digital world we are living in. But your social media presence is something that you are 💯 in control of, so why not share safely? Take an evening to sit down with your friends and family members to review the content you are currently sharing. The evening it takes you to do this could spare you a lot of trouble later. 

Happy {safely} sharing! 

Sources:

1. https://niccs.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/ncsam_socialmediacybersecurity_508.pdf?trackDocs=ncsam_socialmediacybersecurity_508.pdf

2. https://cybersecurity.osu.edu/cybersecurity-you/develop-safe-habits/social-media