Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become a part of our lives. Although their use has become inevitable, they do pose some risks related to your online identity. Below we list some of the risks that exist on social media platforms:
- Identity theft – Online criminals can pretend to be you, if they have the right information. If your phone number, street address, email and other sensitive information are public, they can be used for identity theft. The result could be someone accessing your email, and even having total control of your social media account.
- Third party applications – Some third party applications ask for too many permissions, which are unnecessary. You might like that application, but logging in with your Facebook or Twitter account can give it full access to your information, and even allow it to post on your behalf.
- Your public image – Sometimes information is best kept private. Before posting anything, ask yourself “will this damage my image?” if it does, then you shouldn’t post it. Remember that once information is on the Internet, it’s forever there. Some information such as confidential information should not be shared on social media according KAUST policy. Make sure to read section 5 in the Acceptable Use Policy to know more about personal use of social media for KAUST personnel.
How to protect yourself?
- Use strong passwords – Strong passwords which are 8 characters long, using a mix of small and capital letters, as well as numbers and special characters. Also, do not use the same password for your work and personal accounts.
- Enable two-factor authentication – Enabling two-factor authentication means that you get a text message that includes a temporary code whenever someone tries to login to your account. If it is enabled, it means that even if a hacker has managed to steal your password, they still need to look at that text message on your phone, making your Facebook and Twitter accounts much more secure.
- Use privacy settings – Make sure that you know who has access to what – Facebook has privacy settings, which help hide information such as your email from the public. Twitter and Instagram allow you to make your account private.
- Don’t share private information – As soon as you share any information on the Internet, it is saved by many sites and will stay there forever. Make sure that you don’t share anything that you would not like others to see.
- Look at application permissions – Many social media websites allow you to know which applications have access to what. You can revoke permissions from any application.
For more information about keeping yourself secure, visit the Information Security webpage or email askinfosec@kaust.edu.sa.