Privacy & Security

Privacy

• Use caution when accepting friend invitations. Only accept invitations from people you know. Cybercriminals create bogus profiles to propagate malware.
• Show “limited friends” a cut down version of your profile. This can be useful if you have associates to whom you do not wish to give full friend status.
•  Remove a connection to a friend that you are no longer comfortable with.
• Block individuals if they are harassing you or if you just don’t want to be visible to them.
• Report abuse. The most efficient way to do this is right where it occurs – in the social media site’s privacy settings.
• Be careful where you click. Make sure to evaluate the potential costs/benefits of pop-ups, applications, and invites.
• Don’t be an early adopter of a new app. Give the community time to discover the security weaknesses before you dive in.
• Avoid suspicious-looking URLs. Make it a habit to hover over links to identify the source and proceed with caution.
• Never click on unsolicited links containing celebrity gossip, natural disasters, political scandals etc. Scammers quickly build malicious websites designed to trick users into installing malware or sending donations to replicated websites. Instead, go directly to a reputable source’s website.
• Never copy & paste a link into your address bar unless you know where the link goes. Doing so will bypass you browser’s security controls.
• Never post your whereabouts or your vacation plans. You are only helping burglars to plan their break-in.
• Never give up your login credentials. Social engineers are equipped with enough information to trick you into believing the request is from a legitimate authority.
• Ask permission before posting someone’s picture or publishing a conversation that was meant to be private.
• Respect the law, including those laws governing defamation, discrimination, harassment and copyright.