Social media has grown to become an integral part of our lives and businesses in the last few years. Therefore, it has become imperative that everyone knows how to keep their social media accounts safe, considering their importance and the number of personal details they can get from them. It could be devastating for someone if a hacker gained access to their social media accounts, and it can have several negative impacts on their business.
Some of the possible consequences of this are:
● The hacker may steal the account and change the handle name to own your followers to themselves.
● They may send compromised links to your friends and followers through your account.
● They may attempt to phish personal details from your customers if they hack your business account.
It is necessary, therefore, that you don’t associate too many risks with your social media accounts by ensuring that hackers cannot gain access to them. Here are a few tips that you can implement to ensure this:
1. Be careful about your use of third-party applications
The use of third-party applications, like social media posts schedulers, may require that you give the application access to your social media account. Be sure that you're only giving this access out to legitimate applications. It's also essential that you read the details of the access or authorization that you're granting the application before you grant access to your account. This will give you an idea of the limits that these applications can't exceed.
Some applications only need minimal permissions, like being able to read your content and post them. So, be sure that you are reading the fine print and not just granting access to applications blindly. It would be thoughtful of you to log in to your social media profiles and check the applications that already have access to your profiles. Once you determine the applications that already have access, confirm that you trust them all. Otherwise, you have to revoke access to untrusted applications or other applications you no longer use or need.
2. Use strong passwords
It may be difficult for you to cram and constantly remember passwords considered “strong’ or “very strong.” That’s very understandable. In fact, until the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, was hacked, he wasn’t very fond of strong or complex passwords. His social media accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter were all compromised, and it was later revealed that his password was “Dadada.” Funny as it sounds, it shows how many people are so casual with their passwords and do not take strength seriously. Everyone thinks that it cannot happen to them, but in reality, hackers are respecters of no one.
It can happen to anybody, whether big or small. This is why you must use passwords that are difficult or even impossible to crack. There are many tools that you can use to rate the strength of your passwords.
3. Use antivirus software
Most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) provide a level of security protection for their users. So, it would be a good idea to compare your local ISPs and, at least, for the best option you can find in your immediate environment. However, another exciting way to secure yourself is to install antivirus software on your devices. Some of these antivirus programs have a free version, but the pro version is the better option for more robust security.
However, if your budget is tight, the free version will still offer you better protection compared to when you had nothing at all.
You can decide to be more cautious and get tools like Vibbi that you can use to download your images and videos from social media and back them up. This is ideal for brands that take the time, money, and effort to edit custom content.
4. Use two-factor authentication on your accounts
Two-factor authentication offers more security by confirming the identity of the user by combining two different components. The first component is typically the account’s password, and the second one is a text notification to the user through email or text message.
This is an easy and reliable security measure, and you may as well be asking for trouble if you are not using a security measure as simple as two-factor authentication. However, that little extra hassle that this may cause is worth it to ensure the security of your account across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and so on.
5. Manage your passwords with a password management tool
There are several password management tools that you can use to manage your password and ensure the security of your accounts. Similar to how URL shorteners help create short links that are easier to manage, password management tools help keep all your passwords, so you do not have to remember them all. You are expected to be using strong passwords for all your accounts, and it may be impossible to remember them all. Password managers may require you to remember just one password to the tool itself to see other passwords. These tools can also be synced with your devices and browsers for quick access.
Conclusion
The threats of hacking and other cyber-attacks are rising, and social media accounts are not left out. The fact that social media has become an essential tool used in our daily lives is why they are a target. So, it is expedient to keep your social media accounts safe and prevent them from being hacked. However, as there are plenty of accounts to manage, you must make sure to follow the essential security tips so that your accounts do not get hacked.
In this article, we already discussed five security steps that you can take to secure your account and ensure that you are not at risk of being hacked. So, don’t forget to watch out for third-party applications, use strong passwords, install antivirus programs, enable two-factor authentication, and use password managers.
Author Bio
Sherri Carrier is a professional writer for a dissertation writing service and a member of several writing clubs in New York. She has been writing her poems since she was a child. The young author gets inspiration from her favorite writers and people whom she loves.
What did you learn?
- keep social media accounts in safe
- secure your account
- short links with passwords to protect content
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