It’s 2020—We all probably have multiple social media accounts at this point. You might even consider yourself an expert at navigating different social media accounts, but are you sharing too much information online?
It’s time to take a comprehensive look at exactly what you’re sharing across your social media accounts and who you’re sharing that information with.
It’s harmless, right?
Sharing information that may initially seem harmless such as, the name of your first pet, your favorite vacation location and the name of the high school you graduated from, is actually exposing you to a cybersecurity attack.
These questions are commonly used as security questions to access personal accounts and giving out these answers freely equips hackers with the necessary tools to easily get into your accounts and/or reset your passwords.
Recent social media trends where the poster shares answers to a series of questions have been more prevalent now that many folks are spending more time at home and on social media. Remember to think before you post to avoid potentially exposing yourself to a cybersecurity attack.
Check your settings
Check your privacy settings on each social media account to ensure that you are only sharing necessary information with those that you trust. You should also view each of your social media accounts “as others see it” at least once a month to ensure that you are only sharing information that you want to share.
Stranger danger
The general rule of thumb is to not post any information that you would not share with a complete stranger. Check the list below to see what personal information should never be shared on any social media accounts.
- Full date of birth
- Social security number
- Home addresses
- Account passwords or usernames
- Bank account information
- Credit card information
- Your personal location
- Vacation plans
- Photos of records and licenses such as passports, driver’s licenses, marriage certificates, house deeds, medical records.
If you have any of this information posted publicly, please consider taking it down immediately to protect yourself online.