Making Security A Priority On Facebook

NETWORK TECH WORLD Facebook is vastly recognized as the largest and most powerful social media platform in the world. With a billion users worldwide, this social media giant presents a bundle of opportunities for its users. Whether it be the individual looking to stay in contact with their family and friends, the small organization looking to promote an upcoming event, or a corporation looking to capitalize on the multitudinous marketing and branding opportunities available, Facebook can facilitate it.

Facebook has taken extraordinary measures to insure that they remain relevant in an ever evolving social media climate. As much as they have presented opportunity and convenience, it has come at a price. Anytime you partner with so many different entities and you allow an abundance of third party applications to be marketed, sold and distributed from your site and server, you inevitably are going to have some security issues.

Along with Twitter, Facebook has become one of the most hacked platforms in the world. For individuals this can be an annoyance and an inconvenience, but for companies that are using their networks to run their Facebook campaigns, this could mean a more serious security issue. If a company’s Facebook account is hacked their database and other sensitive information could breached or compromised.

This does not mean that individuals cannot be compromised at a greater scale. Withmalware, spyware, and phishing expeditions being executed on that platform, an individual’s personal and financial information can be accessed if they are not careful.
Does this mean that companies and individuals should not take advantage of the benefits and opportunities that Facebook presents? Not at all. What it means is that both, individuals and companies have to take the necessary steps and precautions to insure that their activity on Facebook is secure.

If you are looking to take advantage of the Facebook experience, there are several steps that you can take to decrease the risks that are associated with using that platform.
The first thing that you should do is insure that you are using a strong password. Make sure that your password has letters and numbers and that you use upper and lowercase letters. Don’t use passwords that contain information that can be easily guessed and deciphered (things like birthdays and anniversaries, etc.). Never share your password with anyone and don’t store it on your computer anywhere. Lastly, use a different password for every function and endeavor.

Because your Facebook account will be directly linked to any email accounts you use to access the platform, be sure that the server that you are using for your email is secure as well. Email is one of the most common ways hackers and spammers will access your data and information and this includes Facebook.

If you share a computer with others or work from an unsecured network, be sure to log out of your Facebook account when you are not using it.

You should run an anti-virus scan for your computer and all other smart devices that you use to access Facebook. There are number of very effective programs that are specifically designed for the particular operating system that you are using.
You should also add security questions to your account. By simply clicking the account settings tab, you can access the security field, the, click the Security Question section and follow the instruction from there.
You should also use any additional security features that are available to you. Features such as Active Sessions. Active Sessions tracks and list the recent times your Facebook account has been accessed. It includes pertinent information such as the time and date as well as the approximate location from which the account was accessed.

The final step is a practical but powerful one. Be judicious in clicking on links and downloading applications, software, and files. One of the fastest ways to invite malware or spyware into your system is by not executing caution when performing these particular functions.

Although these steps will not provide a 100 percent guarantee of security (nothing will), they will help reduce the risks associated with using the Facebook platform.