October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
Hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA), the overarching theme of this month is to encourage individuals and organizations to “own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity”. In addition to this overarching theme, each week of this month will focus on a different aspect of cybersecurity and will include some recommended action items from ITS to help keep your part of cyberspace as secure as possible!
Today’s post focuses on social media cybersecurity.
Now more than ever, people spend increasing amounts of time on the Internet. With every social media account you sign up for, every picture you post, and status you update, you are sharing information about yourself with the world. How can you be proactive and stay safe online? Take these simple steps to connect with confidence and safely navigate the social media world.
- Limit what information you post on social media—from personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee. What many people don’t realize is that these seemingly random details are all that criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and your physical belongings—online and in the real world. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, address, birthday, and even vacation plans. Disable location services that allow anyone to see where you are—and where you aren’t—at any given time.
- Report suspicious or harassing activity. Work with your social media platform to report and possibly block harassing users. Report an incident if you’ve been a victim of cybercrime. Local and national authorities are ready to help you.
- Remember, there is no ‘Delete’ button on the Internet. Share with care, because even if you delete a post or picture from your profile seconds after posting it, chances are someone still saw it.
- Update your privacy settings. Set the privacy and security settings to your comfort level for information sharing. Disable geotagging, which allows anyone to see where you are—and where you aren’t—at any given time. The National Cybersecurity Alliance offers a resource guide with direct links to manage your account privacy settings on the various social media platforms.
- Connect only with people you trust. While some social networks might seem safer for connecting because of the limited personal information shared through them, keep your connections to people you know and trust.
As always, feel free to reach out to ITS at itshelp@law.upenn.edu with any questions or concerns.