Social media hacking has become the order of the day, and the average person is a low-hanging fruit for cybercriminals to steal from. Over 30 million Facebook accounts were hacked in 2018, and more people are still getting compromised. That calls for serious concerns for anyone who values their privacy online.
There are severe repercussions for any breach of cybersecurity or privacy, and it all boils down to how we handle our online privacy and credentials. Instead of waiting until you are compromised, fix these common mistakes you might be making to avoid getting your online accounts hacked.
1. Messing With Your Passwords
Most people aren't just using weak passwords; they have formed the habit of using the same passwords for all their online accounts. According to ExpressVPN's recent survey on cybersecurity practices, the average person uses the same password for six or more platforms online. You know the implication already: someone laying their hands on your credentials means all your accounts are at risk of compromise.
We usually create simple passwords to avoid forgetting them. One quick solution is to generate unique passwords and store them using password managers. Avoid saving your passwords on your phones, PCs, or tables because that would put your accounts at risk once your devices are compromised.
When creating strong passwords, GCF Global recommends using a mix of letters, numbers, and special symbols but stresses not to include any personal information. The idea is to keep your passwords unpredictable. It would be best if you didn't share your social media account passwords with anyone, including your siblings. Even if they don't mean evil, a password leak could occur and wreck your accounts.
2. Leaving Out Security Essentials
Once you've sorted out issues with passwords, you can use two-factor authentication to make your social media accounts even safer. Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) for your social media accounts is quick and easy. It shouldn't take you more than 4 minutes to set up 2FA. Even if it takes longer, the time is worth the hassle you go through if your credentials fall into the wrong hands.
After reading this, you should check and update your accounts to ensure your privacy and security are at their best.
3.) Clicking on Suspicious Links
According to CISCO's report on cyber security trends for 2021, about 90% of hacks and data breaches are caused by phishing attacks. Phishing is a form of social engineering in which people are tricked into giving out personal information. Hackers achieve that by flooding spam links into our online spaces.
Some phishing links are clones of your favoured social media platform, like Instagram or Twitter. Once you click on the link, it displays a login page, and if you slot your Instagram password in there, it will still lead you to the Instagram website, but the hackers have your credentials. It's worse if you use the same password for multiple accounts.
Phishing attacks usually come through email. Even if an email isn't in the spam folder, you should be careful about clicking on fishy links or downloading files. Clicking on phishing links may download malware into your system, allowing hackers to obtain your social media passwords and personal and banking information.
Stay Alert
With the rise in social media hacking, you want to avoid these common security mistakes and exercise extra caution to keep your accounts safe. Your security and privacy on social media platforms begin with a strong password with 2FA enabled. In summary, sort that out for your accounts and ensure you click the right things online.