Social media accounts face many potential attack vectors. Thus, every individual and organization must practice strong cybersecurity in social media.
Businesses must not take social media security lightly. Your business’s online presence is deeply connected to the brand reputation. A data breach may damage how customers view your brand. Moreover, it puts company information at risk.
Hackers are constantly evolving – this trend will not stop. Thus, companies must learn to evaluate and adjust. This post discusses how businesses can implement cybersecurity in social media.
Planning – the foundation of cybersecurity in social media
Like most things, it’s hard to get anywhere without a plan. Begin by creating standards and procedures to reduce security risks and deal with any arising issues. Generally, your plan must include the following:
- A consistent practice for setting up and maintaining your brand’s social accounts. Moreover, the plan must document any third-party tools or plugins you use.
- When and how you will grant and remove access to team members
- Regular audits of who has access. This is important as roles change and team members come and go
- Your team must regularly review these security standards
You must assign someone who will take the lead in social media security. This team member will stay updated on the latest security features offered by the tools you’re using. They will also ensure that your social media team leverages social media features and follow the best practices.
General social media security best practices
Each business has its unique needs so security policies may vary. However, team members must follow these practices to keep information safe.
Stay vigilant
Hackers also attack the personal accounts of team members to gain access to company profiles. Thus, your social media team must take extra caution on their personal accounts.
There is an uptick in social engineering attacks like phishing. Such attacks come in the form of emails, messages, and more. Never click on suspicious links or attachments.
Follow your organization’s password standards
Having strong passwords is the first line of defense against security breaches. You must include on your cybersecurity plan a policy on what makes a strong password. For instance, the NIST requires federal agencies to use passwords that are at least 8 characters long. However, it is best to take the extra mile and use a passphrase that is at least 12-18 characters.
Additionally, don’t use the same passwords on all accounts. The best passwords are ones that are 1) easy for you to remember and 2) hard for hackers to crack.
Enable 2FA/MFA
Two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires more than just a password to grant access to an account. Many people view these features as a waste of time.
However, it adds an extra layer of defense as it prevents hackers from accessing accounts with just a password. Just take a look at what happened to the 2015 hacking of the US military’s Central Command Twitter account. The lack of 2FA is the main reason behind the breach.
Cybersecurity in social media might sound like a lot of work. Yes, it is indeed a lot of work.
