Protecting Your Social Networks: Top Eight Tips to Prevent Phishing Attacks

Do you know that phishing is one of the most prevalent ways cyber criminals attack social networks?

Phishing statistics showed that By 2023, it is projected that over 33 million records would be hacked, with a ransomware or phishing attack occurring every 11 seconds.

Phishing continues to be a pervasive threat in a digital landscape and social networks is a primary suspect.

Here are some tips to protect yourself and networks from phishing attacks;

1. Always verify emails and links before clicking on them. Ways to do so are to verify the sender’s email address and hover over links to reveal the actual URL of the destination ( for computers) before clicking.
2. Employ strong, complex password for each social network account. Always remember, Weak passwords are easy to brute force. You can consider using a password manager to generate and store them securely
3. Activate 2FA wherever possible. Right now, Most social networks have more than one layer of security to make it hard for attackers to access.
4. Review the permissions you have granted to third-party apps on your social media accounts. You should endeavor to revoke access for any apps you no longer use or trust.
5. Always ensure you are on a secure connection Only access your social media accounts on secure, trusted networks, and ensure your Wi-Fi is protected with a strong password.
6. Regularly update your system software's. reasons you want to update your system regularly are because cyber criminals always watch out for vulnerabilities in system software to exploit for malicious purposes. System updates include software patches that protects you from vulnerabilities from previous software versions therefore maintaining security and operation of your devices.
7. Be alert on any messages that creates a sense of urgency that pushes you to act quickly. Take a step back to evaluate its legitimacy as it could be a phishing attack.
8. Regularly take an audit on every activities on your social networks for any suspicious activities.

Follow these tips and significantly reduce the risk of being a victim of phishing attacks.

Stay Safe
Stay Secure

#Cybersecurity #Cysec #PhishingPrevention #OnlineSafety