Social Network Security (Jacob Sanderson)

As our group will be creating two different social network accounts for our artist we will need to go over social network safety as social network can be very dangerously used to attack, harass and hack people. It can lead to peoples personal information being stolen and their contact information being leaked. Their is also lots of viruses that people can trick you into clicking and downloading through social networks. I will be going over the best ways to stay safe on social network. Hopefully this will help our group stay clear of any trouble on our accounts. The following is a guide on steps to take 

1. Don’t click on unknown links.

Sharing links via Facebook or Twitter is a common act, but avoid clicking on links where the destination website cannot be seen in the URL (as is increasingly common with URL-shortening applications such as bit.ly). These links can open you up to malicious attacks and place sensitive company data in a vulnerable position

2. Don’t share personal information.

Avoid including personally identifiable information when communicating online, such as date of birth, postal address, and certainly not bank details. Savvy online criminals can piece together information from different sites in order to steal individual identities and run up massive bills on company credit cards, or even create a fake passport in an employee’s name.

3. Set strong passwords.

Simple acts, such as developing strong passwords that are changed at least every 45-60 days, can dramatically improve IT security with minimal intrusion on time. Encourage employees not to save passwords on default settings when using the internet, as anyone who misplaces their laptop can make it very easy for the unscrupulous to access sensitive data.

4. Beware fake friends - Cat-fishing.

A common phishing attack that users are seeing occurs when criminals hijack social networking accounts and distribute messages to all the contacts in that individual’s contact book. Clicking on a message from a ‘fake friend’ such as this can lead to an external site that allows malicious code to enter your computer system. If you receive a message that seems out of character, always confirm who the sender is before opening to ensure this is really the person sending you the link.

5. Invest in security software.

Don’t cut corners when it comes to anti-virus software. You might think you’re being economical in the short term by simply downloading some free software online but once a malicious piece of software manages to enter your computer, it can cost a fortune to fix, and that £60 can start to feel like a bargain. There are also many free trails of software which can help out for months.

By following these steps we will ensure we are not at risk.