The Irresistable Target: A high profile social media account

by Kristin on July 7, 2010

The votes are in and the consensus lies on the fact that high profile social media users are on the rise for having their sites hacked. Whether politically or monetarily motivated, these types of accounts are the treasure chest of data for hackers.

We are not just talking about celebrities like Brittany Spears and Ellen DeGeneres, but political icons and large corporations alike. This is not to say that popular and well-known users should quite Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., but to use precautions.

Many instances of high profile hacks were due to insecure passwords, multiple accounts used under the same password, no spyware in place and simple human error.

CNN reporter Rich Sanchez found this on his Twitter feed one morning:
hacked twitter account

Even tougher to swallow is the fact that the U.S. President Barack Obama’s Twitter site was hacked once:
obama twitter hacked

Companies are also threatened by these hacks. 27% of companies in the U.S. are now using social media for business, up from 13% in 2009.

On the surface, it may make sense for them to just quite social networking all together due to the high security issues. Instead, being more aware of whom you give account access, complexity of passwords, variation of passwords between accounts, and backup security are necessary precautions to take.

Google and Twitter are prime hacker sites. They are open source and full of rich data from anywhere and anyone in the world. While these sites have their own ‘privacy’ actions in place, it is ultimately up to the user, you, to protect your data.

Users across all types of social platforms are forewarned to be even more careful of their account security during the summer months. From reporting specific geographic locations to booking holiday vacations to entering personal data into an unknown website, users beware!

While the summer months may be filled with relaxation, warm breezes and fun in the sun, don’t let your security standards fall below the line too. Hackers are there waiting, don’t give them bait to rob your data.

If anything does go awry and your account gets hacked or deleted, we hope you have a backup plan.

  • http://twitter.com/natashaattal NatashaAttal

    This is a great post Kristin! It is important for companies and individuals building their online profile to take control of their brand. There needs to be a Plan B in case their profiles get hacked. I would be interested in hearing your suggestions on how to avoid issues with hackers getting a hold of your profile. What are the proper steps to take?

  • Kristin

    Thanks, Natasha!
    What we suggest is:
    Ensure you have unique and very differentiated passwords. So instead of sunshine6, create one like ej655sun4yiishine67 (complicated to remember but also more complicated for someone else to get on!)

    Manage who has access to shared social media and email accounts.

    Encrypt all sensitive data send over the Internet. We suggest never sending a password via Internet (possibly text it or tell in person if you can).

    Ensure company firewalls and spyware are secure and up to date

    Frequently update your passwords

    Always be on the look out for suspicious activity on your site

    Be very aware of what sites you give your information to. If you're in doubt, don't give them data.

    Aside from that, make sure your IT department is not letting any gaps in security leak through. But as far as user control, those tips should do the trick!

    -Kristin

  • http://e71bynokia.blogspot.com/ Pali Madra

    Hello,

    Backupify is a great service. I wanted to know where I can find how much space I'm using in my account. I'm unable to find that information.

    Thanks in advance.

  • backupify

    We're working on making that feature available to customers soon. Stay tuned!