You’ve heard in the press that many celebrities and companies got their social media accounts hacked. Twitter even issued an official warning to all press agencies to protect their accounts better.

Here are useful tips how to easily protect your account:

 

1. Protect your social media account with a strong password.

Here are some good tips how to create a good password.

 

2. Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.

The two-factor authentication assumes that the user is who he is (authentication via user/password) and in the same time that he has something that only he can have (phone, code, biometric data, etc.)

Here is how you can do this for the most common social media portals and not only.

 

3. Password protect your mobile device.

Many users access their social media accounts from mobile devices. But, mobile devices, due to their nature are being taken everywhere and sometimes get lost or stolen.

Make sure you password protect your mobile device and even encrypt it if it is possible.

Here are some tips how to do this.

 

4. Don’t use the same account for all activity you make.

Try to create a computer account for each user and if you work with sensitive data, even for each activity. Don’t forget that browsers and not only save confidential infos in cookies and databases. These infos are specific for each user. By creating an account for each user, you make sure that these data doesn’t reach the wrong user.

Here are some tips how to do this.

 

5. Keep your computer clean.

Make sure that your computer is not infected with a keylogger when you work with social media. A keylogger will copy all your input and send it to cybercriminals.

Always Use an antivirus software.

 

6. Protect your computer so that only authorized users can access it.

Even if the computer is not infected, there might be others who have access to it. All websites allow the users to save their login information so that they can access the site faster next time. This has as consequence that if someone opens the browser and types the address of the social media website, they will land in your account.

Here are tips how to protect your computer easily.

 

7. Change your password often

No matter how secure your password is, it is necessary to change it regularly. Many portals get hacked and attackers might get their hands on your password, even if it is a good one.

 

8. Don’t use the same password on multiple accounts.

If one account gets hacked, then it is a matter of time until the attackers obtain, based on your email address, your other accounts.

 

9. Use a different email address and user name for each social media account.

By doing this you make sure that an attacker has a hard time to obtain your other social media accounts.

 

10. Restrict user permissions

On Facebook for example, you can have normal users and administrators for a page.

By allowing too many administrators, you have many attack targets. Also, it is harder to control and protect so many accounts.

 

 

This is a chapter in Improve your Security free eBook. Get it from here: http://improve-your-security.org/book/

All these and many more topics are in the free eBook "Improve your security" available here: www.improve-your-security.org.