Be Safe on Your Social Networks

Social networks are a wonderful tool that keeps us in touch with long-lost friends and family members. They provide a way for instant communication with individuals and help us find friends that we haven’t seen for years. However, even with all of the good that social networks bring, they also contain a few drawbacks as well.

Because social networks are popular among individuals of all ages, they are prime targets for security and privacy threats. It is not uncommon to find a malicious link posted on yours or your friend’s wall. There are also several third-party apps you can download onto your social network that are created by phishers. Luckily, several Mac internet security applications and similar programs provide a tool that will scan your social network and alert you of any suspicious links or sites. But even with this extra layer of protection on your computer, security and privacy threats lurk everywhere on a social network, and without proper caution you can easily become victim to an identity thief or other online predator.

Beware of phishing websites

Social networks have become popular targets among phishers. Phishing is a way to gather another individual’s passwords, usernames, financial information and other personal data. These types of attacks are prevalent because individuals do not think anything is wrong with a link because a friend posted it on one of their social networks.

Unless you are extremely cautious about which websites you enter information on, rarely will you know you are being attacked by a phisher. Oftentimes, you will be redirected to a webpage that looks similar to your regular login page for your social network, bank, email, etc. However, the URL is different and you are not actually on a secure website. And after logging on to one of these fake websites, you have just submitted your personal login information to the phisher. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, always check the URLs on your login webpages and make sure you only log in to the actual, secure website.

Be cautious of what you post

Even though social networks are the ideal way of staying up-to-date with all of your friends’ lives, that doesn’t mean they need to know every small detail about your day. It is easy for cybercriminals to watch social networking postings of a company and its employees or a family and their friends. They can easily piece together small tidbits of information posted about certain events or activities on a social network wall. They can then use those to their advantage, determining functions, tools and resources to help them gain access to the information they need to steal your identity.

Always check to make sure that your privacy settings are on. If not, anyone can see what you are doing and find important personal information about you with a simple Google search. Be cautious what you post, and make sure you're using privacy settings so your private life stays private.

Third-party apps may not be all fun and games

Third-party apps are easy to use and integrate directly onto your social network. They make it easy to play games, read and access resources. However, many of these third-party apps are providing your information to other companies. These apps also provide a variety of security and privacy vulnerabilities. Not all third-party apps sell and use your information, but always be aware of what apps you download and how much permission you grant the apps to use.

Just be smart

One of the best things to do when using a social network is to be smart. Be aware of who you are friends with and do not confirm any user you don't know. Confirming people you don’t know is often one of the easiest ways for any cybercriminal to gain personal information and data about your life. It only takes one person to cause a significant amount of damage.

Don’t forget to log out of your social network when you are done, especially if you are using a public computer or a public network. Be cautious of all photos you post, all personal information that can identify you, and be sure your privacy settings are turned on and working properly.