8 ways to prevent business social media identity theft

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October 2nd, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands of social media sites worldwide, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube. Social media networks are quickly becoming the bane of the IT manager. Twitter phishing and Facebook jacking are growing rapidly.

Social media is still in its infancy and its security has been an issue since its inception. Facebook has been perceived as an ongoing privacy and security issue and Twitter has become a big target. Users are tricked into clicking links. Viruses enter the network as a result of employees downloading or simply visiting an infected page.

Computerworld reports that "Twitter is dead." Twitter is dead because it is now so popular that the spammers and the scammers have arrived in force. And history tells us that once they sink their teeth into something, they do not let go. Ever.

1. Implement policies: Social media is a great platform for connecting with existing and potential clients. However, without some type of policy in place that regulates employee access and guidelines for appropriate behavior, social media may eventually be completely banned from every corporate network.
2. Teach effective use: Provide training on proper use and especially what not do to.
3. Encourage URL decoding: Before clicking on shortened URLs, find out where they lead by pasting them into a URL lengthening service like TinyURL Decoder or Untiny.
4. Limit social networks: In my own research I've found 300 to 400 operable social networks serving numerous uses from music to movies, from friending to fornicating. Some are more or less appropriate and others even less secure.
5. Train IT personnel: Effective policies begin from the top down. Those responsible for managing technology need to be fully up to speed.
6. Maintain updated security: Whether hardware or software, anti-virus or critical security patches, make sure you are up to date.
7. Lock down settings: Most social networks have privacy settings that need to be administered to the highest level. Default settings generally leave the networks wide open for attack.
8. Prevent social media identity theft: Register all your officers, company names and branded products on every social media site you can find to prevent Twitter squatting and cybersquatting. You can do this manually or by using a very cost effective service called Knowem.com.

And invest in identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft protection can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses social media identity theft on Fox Boston.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwFC0jfxTco[/youtube]

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.