Many people know the benefits of social media presence in a business setting. It gives you more visibility and an affordable advertisement platform and also allows you to communicate with customers and suppliers efficiently. However, social media is also one of the biggest security challenges faced by businesses. Only 29% of companies take the time to educate their staff about Web risks. Here are 6 social media threats and how you can mitigate them in your business.
1. Unattended social media accounts
Since social media is the in thing, many companies open an account in all platforms from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even Instagram. However, most of these companies only focus on one or two of these platforms to market and communicate with their clients, neglecting the other accounts. Idle social media sites are a hacker’s best friend. Hackers gain access to idle accounts easily without your knowledge and use them to do all kinds of mischievous stuff. One of your social accounts if inactive, close it down.
2. Hacking
There are computer geniuses out there who can simply hack into any account. In this case, you can only protect your information by implementing the privacy settings, using strong passwords and having an excellent antivirus system. You have to invest in more elaborate protective intelligence resources like Endpoint Security Software to keep your accounts safe.
3. Human error
Human error is the greatest risk to social media security. Typically, people will click on an unsafe link and even forward it to their colleagues. The link then exposes your servers and the entire system to dangerous malware and viruses that can crash the system or make it weak. Taking the employees through regular training on social media safety is the best way to reduce human error instances.
4. Phishing and scams
Phishing is now the most common security issue on social media. Celebrities are commonly used as bait. A very interesting link is sent to your account, and when you open it, you redirected to a page where you are asked to give personal information. In the last few months, Tyler Perry has been forced to close down more than 30 such scams in his name.
The only solution is to educate the employees on these tricks and also scan and decode such links using protective intelligence options like BrightCloud, TrueURL.net.
5. Imposter accounts
If gaining access to big companies social media accounts is too hard, people create imposter accounts that look just like yours. They then target your customers to ask for personal information in disguise or use the fake account to ruin your reputation. You need to stay on top of what is happening on the social media platform. Stay close to your customers, so they tell you when an imposter account has been created.
Only a few people should access your corporate social media accounts. The most effective way to deter social media threats is to educate the staff about all the risks and how to avoid them.