Top Tips to Securely Using Social Media

Manhattan College IT Services is sharing cyber safety tips in support of raising awareness during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, October 2019.

Overview 

Social media sites, such as Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, are amazing resources, allowing you to meet, interact, and share with people around the world. However, with all this power comes risks--not just for you, but your family, friends, and employer. In this post, we cover the key steps to making the most of social media securely and safely. 

Posting 

Be careful and think before posting. Anything you post will most likely become public at some point, impacting your reputation and future, including where you can go to school or the jobs you can get. If you don’t want your family or boss to see it, you probably shouldn’t post it. Also, be aware of what others are posting about you. You may have to ask others to remove what they share about you. 

Privacy 

Almost all social media sites have strong privacy options. Enable them when possible. For example, does the site really need to be able to track your location? In addition, privacy options can be confusing and change often. Make it a habit to check and confirm they are working as you expect them to. 

Passphrase 

Secure your social media account with a long, unique passphrase. A passphrase is a password made up of multiple words, making it easy for you to type and remember, but hard for cyber attackers to guess. 

Lock Down Your Account 

Even better, enable two-factor authentication on all of your accounts. This adds a one-time code with your password when you need to log in to your account. This is actually very simple and is one of the most powerful ways to secure your account. 

Scams 

Just like in email, bad guys will attempt to trick or fool you using social media messages. For example, they may try to trick you out of your password or credit card. Be careful what you click on: If a friend sends you what appears to be an odd message or one that does not sound like them, it could be a cyber attacker pretending to be your friend. 

Terms of Services

Know the site’s terms of service. Anything you post or upload might become the property of the site.

Work

If you want to post anything about work, check with your supervisor first to make sure it is okay to publicly share.

Follow these tips to enjoy a much safer online experience. To learn more on how to use social media sites safely, or report unauthorized activity, check your social media site’s security page.

Be Secure Online! Refer to Manhattan College's Cyber Safety site for additional resources.

Refer to Manhattan College's Email Signature Knowledge Base 

Article for instructions on how to create your own email signature. 

Using a Manhattan College email signature is important because it is the perfect opportunity to brand every message you send. By creating a cohesive email signature for each employee on your team, you create brand recognition in every person to whom your employees sends emails. 

Reach out to IT Services with any questions:

• Email: its@manhattan.edu
• Call: 718-862-7973

Partially reposted from www.sans.org/security-awareness

Stop That Phish

Overview

Email and messaging services (such as Skype, Twitter, or Snapchat) are one of the primary ways we communicate. We not only use these technologies every day for work, but also to stay in touch with friends and family. Since so many people around the world depend on these technologies, they have become one of the primary attack methods used by cyber attackers. This attack method is called phishing. Learn what phishing is and how you can spot and stop these attacks, regardless if you are at work or at home.

What Is Phishing

Phishing is a type of attack that uses email or a messaging service to fool you into taking an action you should not take, such as clicking on a malicious link, sharing your password, or opening an infected email attachment. Attackers work hard to make these messages convincing and tap your emotional triggers, such as urgency or curiosity. They can make them look like they came from someone or something you know, such as a friend or a trusted company you frequently use. They could even add logos of your bank or forge the email address so the message appears more legitimate. Attackers then send these messages to millions of people. They do not know who will take the bait, all they know is the more they send, the more people will fall victim.

Protecting Yourself

In almost all cases, opening and reading an email or message is fine. For a phishing attack to work, the bad guys need to trick you into doing something. Fortunately, there are clues that a message is an attack. Here are the most common ones:

• A tremendous sense of urgency that demands “immediate action” before something bad happens, like threatening to close an account or send you to jail. The attacker wants to rush you into making a mistake.
   
• Pressuring you to bypass or ignore your policies or procedures at work.
   
• A strong sense of curiosity or something that is too good to be true. (No, you did not win the lottery.)
   
• A generic salutation like “Dear Customer.” Most companies or friends contacting you know your name.
   
• Requesting highly sensitive information, such as your credit card number, password, or any other information that a legitimate sender should already know.
   
• The message says it comes from an official organization, but has poor grammar or spelling or uses a personal email address like @gmail.com.
   
• The message comes from an official email (such as your boss) but has a Reply-To address going to someone’s personal email account.
   
• You receive a message from someone you know, but the tone or wording just does not sound like him or her. If you are suspicious, call the sender to verify they sent it. It is easy for a cyber attacker to create a message that appears to be from a friend or coworker.

Ultimately, common sense is your best defense. If an email or message seems odd, suspicious, or too good to be true, it may be a phishing attack. 

Be Secure Online! Refer to Manhattan College's Cyber Safety site for additional resources.

Refer to Manhattan College's Email Signature Knowledge Base 

Article for instructions on how to create your own email signature.

Using a Manhattan College email signature is important because it is the perfect opportunity to brand every message you send. By creating a cohesive email signature for each employee on your team, you create brand recognition in every person to whom your employees sends emails. 

Reach out to IT Services with any questions:

• Email: its@manhattan.edu
• Call: 718-862-7973

Partially reposted from SANS Security Awareness Newsletter: Stop That Phish

How to Use Social Media for Good—Safely Creating a Positive Presence Online

Our social networks tell a story about us. You want to make sure that the story your social media tells about you is a good one. As articulated in a blog from the the Digital Marketing Institute: "Sharing online allows you to craft an online persona that reflects your personal values and professional skills. Even if you only use social media occasionally, the content you create, share, or react to feeds into this public narrative. How you conduct yourself online is now just as important as your behavior offline."

A positive online reputation is vital in today's digital world. Like it or not, your information is out there. What you can do is help to control it and what it says about you.

Social media is so ingrained in our society that almost everyone is connected to it in some form. With every social media account you sign up for, every picture you share, and every post you make, you are sharing information about yourself with not only your friends and family but the entire digital world. How can you make sure your information and reputation stay safe online? Here are a few easy steps to get you started.

• Keep it clean and positive. Be entirely sure about what you're posting. Make sure to post content that you feel positively reflects you, your creativity, your values, and your skills. Remember that future employers may look at your social media accounts before hiring you. Questionable content can leave a bad impression; this can include pictures, videos, or even opinions that make you seem unprofessional or mean and may end up damaging your reputation.
  Always think before you post or share negative or inappropriate content. Use the 24-hour rule before posting, allowing yourself 24 hours before posting any content that may be questionable to give yourself time to reflect on whether it is a good idea.
• Oversharing and geotagging. Never click and tell. It can seem like everyone posts personal information on social media all the time, including where they are and where they live. As noted on the DHS.gov site: "What many people don't realize is that these seemingly random details are all criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and even your physical belongings—online and in the real world. Avoid posting names, phone numbers, addresses, school and work locations, and other sensitive information (whether it's in the text or in the photo you took). Disable geotagging, which allows anyone to see where you are—and where you aren't—at any given time."
  If you really want to post that picture of your friends at brunch, consider following the concept of #latergram and post your content at a later time than when it actually happened. It is a win-win. You get to share your experience and at the same time still maintain the privacy of your location in real time.
• Don't rely on privacy settings. You have a private social media account so you can post anything you want? Nope. Privacy settings make it harder to see your full account, but it's not impossible. Also, there is always the chance that one of the people with access to your private account could screenshot and share the content.
  Make sure to keep your social media apps up to date and check the privacy settings frequently. Under no circumstances should you rely on privacy settings to shield inappropriate content. If there is any question that the content is inappropriate, don't post it.
• Make sure you're professional. Keep it classy! Every post is a reflection of you. Your social media accounts allow you to put your best foot forward or stumble if you aren't careful. A positive social media presence can help create both personal and professional opportunities. Promote your personal brand or what you want people to think of you. And, your high school English teacher was correct—proper spelling and grammar are always a plus.
• Control your content. Claim your identity on social media. Set up social media accounts and keep the profiles current. You don't have to join every platform; a few key ones will do. You can also look into apps that will cross post the content to all of your social media accounts, freeing up some of your valuable time. Use your accounts to engage professionally and personally in a positive way.
  Your social media accounts should tell the story of you that you want employers and others to see. Google your own name on a regular basis to make sure that that information out there is accurate. If you find incorrect information online, request that the website update it or take it down.

If you follow these few simple recommendations, you are on your way to safely building a positive online reputation. Using social media positively doesn't mean you can't have fun and use it to express yourself; however, you want to ensure that you're okay with anyone seeing everything you post. Once you post something online, it's out there forever.

Partially reposted from Educause Security Awareness Campaign 2019 Materials

Managing Your Online Reputation

More adults are using social media to stay connected both personally and professionally, which means recruiters (for college, sports, and jobs) may be using social media more frequently to assess candidates’ qualifications. The type of information shared on social media can also provide fodder for phishing attacks and even identity theft, or allow people to make assumptions about you based on the groups that you are affiliated with. Remember to check your social media privacy and security settings frequently to ensure careful online reputation management.

Get the Word Out

Newsletter Content

You should understand how to present yourself on social networking sites and how to safeguard your information. What many may consider temporary or fleeting will most likely remain on the Internet forever. As a result, keep these dos and don’ts in mind when sharing online.

Dos

• Ask questions about who can access the information you are posting online, who controls and owns the information, and what is shared with third party.
• Maintain a backup of the content you post on professional networking sites (e.g., LinkedIn).
• Understand the default privacy settings on the social networking sites you use and how to change them to match your comfort level.
• Keep your personal information private. Assess whether it’s necessary to share sensitive information such as your birthday, mailing address, phone number, e-mail, mother’s maiden name, sexual orientation, or Social Security number.
• Be cautious about accepting requests to connect online. Connect only to people you trust who will not misuse the information you post.
• Check the location settings on photos and videos you post to social networking sites.
• Avoid joining online groups where you don’t know all the members or what they stand for.
• Use passphrases to protect your social media accounts. A passphrase is a set of words that create a phrase that is 20 to 30 characters long.

Don’ts

• Don’t share too much information that could be used to complete a profile about you. For example, share your birthday, but not the year you were born. Or share your hometown, but not the address where you live.
• Don’t share any information that is being used for verification purposes such as your mother’s maiden name, the name of your first pet, or the street where first lived. Consider making up alternate answers to those questions that only you would know.
• Don’t post when you are traveling or going out of town on vacation. It’s an open invitation letting criminals know that you are in a different location and that your home is vacant.
• Don’t post photos of inappropriate or illegal activities.
• Don’t click on attachments or links without checking the source.
• Don’t “check in” to every place you visit. That information could be used to identify you in a vulnerable location.
• Don’t use weak passwords, and never share your passwords!

Social Posts

• Our general rule: Never post anything #online you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see! #SocialMediaSafety
• Or to put it another way, if you wouldn’t want to see it on a billboard, keep it offline. #SocialMediaSafety
• The Internet is forever. Protect your online reputation—your older self will thank you! #SocialMediaSafety
• Keep your personal information private. Assess whether sensitive info is really necessary to share. #SocialMediaSafety
• Remember to check your social media privacy & security settings often! #SocialMediaSafety

Resources

•  Learn how to protect yourself and your devices with these tips and resources from StaySafeOnline.org
• The Carnegie Cyber Academy offers suggestion for   protecting your personal information
• US-CERT also provides tips for staying safe on social networking sites

• Read a book on the topic: lol...OMG! What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship, and Cyberbullying or Digital Drama: Staying Safe While Being Social Online.
• Read Jobvite’s findings in Welcome to the 2015 Recruiter Nation, Formerly Known as the Social Recruiting Survey
• Social Networking Fact Sheet (2014), Pew Research Center.

reposted from: http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2016/6/december-managing-your-online-reputation