(This video chapter begins at 11:04 and ends at 12:43. Click on the blue dot at the 11:04 timestamp to play the video for this module.)

Social Network Security

Many people forget that with social networking, although they are not meeting with people face-to-face, revealing too much information about oneself could still lead to dangerous situations, such as social engineering attacks. This module will discuss some of the ways to protect yourself from being lulled into a false sense of security.

Our focus quote for this module:

“The hacker mindset doesn’t actually see what happens on the other side, to the victim.” – Kevin Mitnick

Keep Birth date Hidden

Giving away your birth date seems like a harmless act, but when a criminal has your birthday, they have one of the several pieces of information needed to steal your identity. If you absolutely must list your birth date, do not include the year.

Have Private Profile

Just because you post something, doesn’t mean it’s for everybody to see. Although social media is a useful way of networking professionally and promoting your business, failing to properly manage your profile and privacy settings could have consequences that you cannot undo.

Each social media platform has its own instructions for updating the settings of your profile so that information is distributed according to your wishes. Be sure to thoroughly read through these guidelines.

Some of the most common social media websites:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

Don’t Link Accounts

Although linking social media accounts may be a convenience to you, it is making it easier for thieves to find you. It is especially important that you don’t link your personal accounts with your business accounts. Some content on one of your social media sites may not be appropriate for content on another site. For example, content you post on Facebook, which is a relatively informal site, may not be appropriate for your LinkedIn account, which is a more formal setting.

What are some other reasons why you shouldn’t link your social media accounts?

• Automated posting
• Same messages across different platforms
• Increased risk of identity theft
• More of a chance of receiving spam in inbox (which can be malware and/or viruses)

Practical Illustration

Reagan and Isabel have opened a candy shop. Reagan has been charged with setting up and managing the company’s social media account. She enjoys using her personal social media in her spare time and believes this is the perfect opportunity to sharpen her skills. Since she already has a lot of followers on her own social media accounts, she feels it makes sense to just link the business account to hers. This way she doesn’t have to work quite as hard to drive traffic to the business. She discusses her plan with Isabel. Isabel questions the idea because Reagan’s accounts have a lot of visible personal information that she doesn’t think their customers need to know.