Social media enables us to share information, interests, and ideas with friends and families. Navigating social media is not always easy, but older adults shouldn’t refrain from using it. If you protect yourself and your accounts from common cyber threats, you are ready to enjoy all the positives social media can offer!
Protect yourself with a strong password
A strong password begins by protecting your account from cyber attacks. The stronger your password is, the more protected you will be. A key thing to remember is to use the same password for only one account, whether that is your email, online banking or social media accounts. But remembering all those passwords isn’t always easy. Try storing all your unique passwords in a password manager. There are many options, so choose the best password manager to help protect you from potential cyber-attacks.
Enable multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication is an essential cyber security measure because it provides an added layer of security for devices, accounts, and information. Multi-factor authentication is called two-step verification. This can happen when your login credentials, meaning your username and password, are paired with another way to identify you, known as an authentication factor.
This could be a text message sent to your phone or an email sent to your inbox to which you have to reply. This two-step verification is better than a password alone. But what’s best is using a different type of second authentication factor that is not on a digital device: something you have (e.g. a token, smartcard) or something you own (e.g. a biometric like a fingerprint).
On social media, for example, the verification chain might go like this:
- You type in your password to gain access to your social media account.
- You are asked to scan your fingerprint to make changes to that account.
- This ensures that a cybercriminal can’t make significant changes to the account, such as changing the email address for password recovery.
Keep your personal information private
Social media is often used as a space to share content and stay connected with loved ones. Your privacy settings must be well managed for your social media to be safe. Make sure to keep your personal information private to reduce the risks of your account being compromised. Here are some tips to secure your account:
- Under account settings, set your account to private to only interact and share photos with the followers you’ve accepted, such as family and friends.
- Spot the signs of cyber threats, and do not click on links in posts or direct messages unless you can confirm it is a legitimate source.
- Confirm through another media source that your contacts are who they say they are if you experience suspicious behaviour.
- Report suspicious behaviour to the support team on the platform.
Beware of suspicious behaviour
When accepting friend requests on social media, ensure you know the person sending you a request. Cybercriminals use phishing tactics to befriend you by posing as someone you know.
- Always verify someone is who they say they are by connecting with them on a verified alternate platform.
- Be aware of the signs of phishing and be cautious of unsolicited messages you receive and random offers that seem too good to be true.
- Strange or unusual messages from an account you are familiar with could mean they have been hacked.
- If you receive a suspicious friend request or message, connect with that person on another platform or ignore and delete the request.
- Share information cautiously.
It is important to avoid sharing too much information. Information transmitted online allows others, including cybercriminals, to learn more about you. Never share sensitive information on social media like banking information, SIN numbers, addresses, phone numbers or passwords. Cybercriminals can use your sensitive information for their socially engineered tactics.
Sharing information is essential. With our app, you can become a part of more than 1,100 users. To learn more about consumer concerns, you can download our mobile app, FRAUDSTER, available on Apple and Android. You can learn more at www.FraudsterApp.com
If you’ve already downloaded the FraudsterApp, click the training icon on the home screen to learn to protect yourself, and in the meantime, be a part of the solution by sharing tips.
