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The following question has been asked in several ways to me online and in the Q&A of speaking engagements I've recently done. It is a question you should be asking if you are using social media to run and grow your business.
What issues are there with social media security and privacy? How are they resolved? What can I do to prevent or reduce problems especially with Facebook and Twitter? Should we jump into the social media world?
1. You'll need to be prepared to be protected from viruses, malware, worms and a whole slew of other nasty software threats. You should be protected from those issues regardless of whether you Facebook or Tweet. Just connecting to the internet will expose you to these threats. Facebook and Twitter are just another delivery channel for what we call malware in the security industry.
The solution is protecting the endpoints in your business (speaking
English that means your computers and your cell phones). A good
endpoint security package is going to include a personal firewall, anti
virus, and anti spam.
My company is a big fan of Sophos end point products as they are partners of ours.
2. Privacy is about control. Don't publish details you don't want
to be out in the open. The obvious no no is over publishing personal
information. Giving too much away, in regards to travel or equipment
purchases, etc. can expose you. There are documented cases of people
tweeting on vacation only to come back to stolen electronics. A
coincidence? Or a follower?
Nobody knows for certain but there is no
reason to expose yourself. Be careful of geo tagging for the same
reasons.
3. Understand social engineering techniques. Social engineering is when
people online use old cons to trick you to do things they want. Get
rich quick schemes, emails from people you don't know (particularly
with downloads) and the like are typical concerns. We've dealt with
cases of social engineering where enough detail was given on Facebook,
Twitter, etc. that the attack actually came over the phone with people
pretending to be people known to the victim.
4. Back your systems up. IF you are attacked you don't want to lose all your hard work.
Scary? Probably. But so frightening you should stay away? Hardly.
My firm is an 11 person information security firm that
cautiously and correctly uses social media to run and grow our
business.
The security and privacy situation is constantly changing in regards to
social media. Get involved in social networking but set aside some time
to become familiar with the security and privacy features of these
tools (and their weaknesses). Don't listen to people that advise you to
stay away from them; embrace them wisely and grow your business!
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