7 Steps to a More Secure Social Media Policy

Hacked social media accounts can cause more damage than just harming a company's reputation. Exposed credit card information, ongoing phishing schemes, and ransomware attacks result in financial damage. It takes years to develop a solid brand, and all that work can be undone in less than 24 hours if a corporate social media account falls into the wrong hands.

Yet based on Twitter’s recent study that only 2.3% of all active accounts have enabled at least one method of two-factor authentication (2FA) during the second half of last year, it’s clear that security teams need to take a closer look at securing their social media accounts.

“Social media should not be left out of the network security discussion,” says Heather Paunet, senior vice president at Untangle. “Hackers can access social media accounts through unattended accounts, third-party apps, fake coupons, and suspicious URLs concealed by using a shortener. Just recalling the infamous 2020 Twitter hack that affected accounts belonging to Apple, President Joe Biden, and Elon Musk shows the importance of having a security policy for social media.”

Here's a seven-step checklist companies can use to focus on the security of their social media accounts. Jim Zuffoletti, co-founder and CEO of SafeGuard Cyber, points out that the widespread use of corporate and personal social media accounts at businesses means companies have to start thinking of these accounts as part of their IT and security infrastructure.