Social media platforms have become essential for not only chatting and making friends but also marketing campaigns. Nowadays, users have access to a multitude of sites. We can use these sites to voice our opinions and connect with others. Social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have many new features that make them more interesting than before. However, hackers are always ready for any new opportunity to take over your account. Let’s explore how we can protect our Instagram, Facebook, and similar accounts from cyber-criminals.
Securing Social Media Accounts
Worried about social media privacy? Social media users must be cautious when they use social media accounts because interacting with other unknown users over the Internet exposes them to the risk of becoming cyber victims. Get to know what all things can save you from becoming a victim of cybercrimes.
Thinking “How to secure my social media accounts?” Though there are multiple ways to keep your online presence secure, prominent ones include the following:
Keep Your Account Private
The main goal of any security system is to protect your data from being leaked by anybody else. However, when attackers find something interesting on your profile, they tend to explore more about you to make you their target. If you think it is worth the risk for you to share some personal details in social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, your data should be shared only when necessary and you shouldn’t give away sensitive information about yourself to someone whom you don’t know.
To prevent such scenarios, you can keep track of who can see your posts and also set a limit on the number of times someone can visit your social media page.
Use Strong Passwords
When you are creating your password, be careful with the fact that you do not use common ones. Instead, create a long, complex, and complicated password that nobody can figure out (guess it). Use only unique words and symbols that make sense to you. Many people share their social media links using certain kinds of passwords like Gmail or Yahoo. Avoid having any such credentials that hackers can easily guess.
Password Managers
You can make use of a free password manager app. Such apps make it easier to keep track of your online conversations and other stuff. A password manager can help us keep our private messages safe and protect them from prying eyes, so make sure to choose one if you haven’t one yet.
Also, you can use different types of apps that save and manage your passwords without compromising their security. They not only help secure your credentials but also offload the burden of remembering multiple passwords.
Protecting Against Phishing Attacks
Attackers use phishing to make you believe that what you read in the phishing emails sent by them is real. Never judge any email by its appealing content; always verify its authenticity before trusting it. Some phishing emails have only links or attachments without any email content. Read more about phishing and ways to protect against it.
Restrict Access to Personal Devices/Accounts
To avoid hackers from accessing sensitive information, which may lead to financial and reputational damage, you need to have a strong protection system. Below are some ways to ensure the safety of your assets :
- Use Cloud Storage to store and back up your data
- Protect your devices with Password Managers
- Enable multi-factor authentication
- Add bio-metric features to your accounts/device (if possible)
Wrapping Up
To sum up, hackers are always looking for ways to access your digital assets. They try to steal them as much as they can, making you worry as soon as you realize that someone is trying to do it. Though the above-mentioned rules can help you protect your online presence to some extent, exercising caution and being vigilant are the key measures to ensure social media security. Always remember to install and use antivirus, anti-spyware, and other security apps to stay safe from unpredicted attack attempts.