Social Networking Security in Business Promotion: Secure or Fallible?

In today's modern era dominated by the advent of the internet, social media has become a powerful tool in which businesses can promote their services and their brands. However, due to the staggering amount of use social media has generated from business and personal accounts, it has made itself a prime target for those seeking to maliciously gain private information. Such people who attempt to gain restricted information are called phishers. Confidential and personal information stored on social media accounts are valuable targets to phishers because that information may be linked to other accounts which might have financial information and resources.

There are several methods in which phishers attempt to obtain information from social media users. They range from spam emails containing bogus links or false information trying to get the user to unknowingly divulge information. There are also spam app or game invites or fake game related lures like "CHEATS!". Other schemes try to falsely get the user to give their information through fake
login screens.

Don't get hooked!

In response to the danger of virtual identity theft, all users including businesses should be more careful when interacting online. The first and most effective way to safeguard personal information is to simply have a keen eye and avoid all scams. Phishing scams usually all have similar language, for example "This really works! I tested it myself! Just click the link ######.com and you'll get it free!" or they usually try to trick with popups declaring your computer is in danger. If recognizing phishing attempts is a bit harder for you, then setting safeguards is the next best thing. Some tips suggest that you do not have the same password for all of your accounts, create unique passwords with special characters and numbers and store them in the website that can only be accessed through security questions. An effective way to keep information off unwanted hands is to always go to the security settings of whichever website you're on and change the settings to be off limits to unknown persons and inaccessible to the general public, only acquaintances. Safe websites will always include "https://...." with the "s" standing for secure. Other traditional methods include up-to-date security software on your computer and running regular scans for phishing software.

The internet has become an integral and powerful tool in today's modern world. However, it does not come without its dangers, which in the case of social media refer to phishing scams.