Social media & privacy
Social media websites are a fun and interactive way of keeping up-to-date with current events as well as keeping in touch with friends and family. Due to the popularity of services such as Facebook and Twitter, social media sites have become a target for scammers and other threatening people.
Below is some SecureIT advice that will help you to increase your security while using social media.
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Limit the amount of personal information you publish online
- Criminals target social networking sites because they are an easy way to access your information. Information such as birthdays, phone numbers or your pet’s name can all be used to steal your identity and commit fraud.
- Some criminals will even use social networking sites to find out more about your interests. They do this to target you more effectively with scams.
- Many social networking sites allow you to “check in” to a physical place and share your location with others. Thieves will also use this information to know your whereabouts. If you “check in” overseas you are letting others know your home is potentially unattended.
For some interesting reading about the risks of sharing personal information in social media, check out this article from the Security Intelligence Blog: Public or private? The risks of posting in social networks.
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Be mindful about who you accept as a 'friend'
- Some people who use social networking sites are threatening and may use your information to embarrass you or damage your reputation.
- Strangers will often create fake profiles in an attempt to befriend you and gather information that can be used to harm you. Sometimes they may even try and impersonate profiles of friends or family members!
- It’s a good idea to limit the number of people you accept as your 'friends'.
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Protect your profile with strong privacy settings
- Social networking sites allow you to limit the amount of information you share by configuring the privacy settings.
- Consider setting your online profile to private and limit the amount of information you share with others.
You can find more information on security settings for social networks in the following guides:
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Avoid clicking on suspicious or shortened links
- Use caution when clicking on links – even if they are from your friends.
- Hackers often send malicious links via chat, wall posts or tweets in an attempt to steal your private information such as your password or banking details.
Tip:
To find out where a shortened link will take you, use a URL expanding service such as longurl.org
