Social media is indispensable for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) like yours. It empowers you to build brand awareness and connect with customers, helping drive sales and enhance customer satisfaction. But while it offers incredible benefits, social media also presents potential security risks that you can't afford to ignore.
Learn how social media can be a security threat and how you can mitigate those risks as an SMB owner.
Understanding social media risks
Here's why social media can be a vulnerability for your SMB:
Social engineering attacks
Social media is a goldmine of information. Hackers can use publicly available details — from birthdays to hobbies to work history — to craft targeted social engineering attacks. These schemes aim to trick unsuspecting users into revealing valuable information or clicking malicious links to purportedly legitimate websites.
The most common type of social engineering attack on social media is phishing, in which cybercriminals create fake accounts to impersonate people you know, such as colleagues, vendors, or even your favorite brands. They might even hack into real accounts to send you malicious links. These links lead to fake websites that steal personal information, including login details and financial data.
Malware distribution
Criminals are turning social media platforms into malware playgrounds. You can unknowingly install malware on your devices by clicking on a link (e.g., a seemingly innocuous banner ad) or downloading an attachment (e.g., a funny cat video). Malware is dangerous because it can compromise your business's data, steal confidential information, and even lock you out of your systems entirely.
Data breaches
Small businesses handle customer and financial records as well as proprietary business data, which are all attractive targets for cybercriminals. Social media accounts connected to business operations can be a gateway for hackers to access this valuable information, leading to costly and damaging data breaches.
Brand impersonation
Fraudsters can create fake accounts mimicking your brand and use these accounts to spread misinformation, damage your reputation, or even trick customers into making fraudulent transactions with your business or providing personal information.
How to secure your social media presence
Don't let social media become a security nightmare. With these proactive steps, you can reduce social media security risks to your SMB:
Educate employees
Conduct regular training sessions to educate your workforce on the risks associated with social media and why it's important to be cautious. Make sure employees understand the dangers of clicking on unfamiliar links, sharing confidential information, and accepting connection requests from unknown individuals.
Strengthen authentication
Enforce the use of complex, unique passwords for all business accounts and enable multifactor authentication for added security. Also, consider using a password manager to effortlessly create and store strong passwords without having to memorize each of them.
Read also: Are biometrics safer than passwords?
Monitor account activity
Regularly check your accounts for signs of trouble. This includes spotting fake profiles pretending to be your brand, unusual posts or messages, and any login attempts from unrecognized devices. Even better, enable alerts for suspicious activity, so you can swiftly shut down potential threats.
Control access
Social media access should be on a need-to-know basis. Implement a system of role-based access control to ensure that employees only have the permissions necessary for their specific tasks.
Limit information sharing
To minimize the chances of social engineering attacks, make it a company rule to avoid posting sensitive business information online. Regularly auditing your social media content can help identify and remove risky posts, while reviewing and updating your account’s privacy settings can ensure that sensitive information is not publicly accessible.
Partner with security experts
Consider partnering with a managed IT services provider with a strong focus on cybersecurity, such as NetQuest. We can create and develop a multilayered social media security strategy tailored to your SMB’s needs and keep bad actors at bay.
Ready to take control of your social media security?
At NetQuest, we are committed to helping SMBs secure their digital presence. Our comprehensive cybersecurity solutions are designed to thwart every digital threat, including those that stem from social media. Let us help you develop a customized plan that leverages the benefits of technology while minimizing the security threats it presents. Schedule your security assessment today.
