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Recent hacking on accounts like those of the Burger King’s and Jeep’s Twitter accounts, Trumps twitter account and others such like them have brought the problem of twitter hacking to stark contrast. Following the linked article, it is seen that hackers don’t just stop at one account; the likes of Fox News, PayPal, NBC News and lots of other twitter accounts have all been a victim of this disaster.
It is easy as a small business owner to think that they aren’t in any danger from hackers, you’re probably thinking your business or account is too small to be noticed, that you’re under the radar. Sorry to break this to you pal, every twitter account, business or otherwise entertains the risk of getting hacked. Everyone should be ready and alert.
The importance of not getting hacked cannot be stressed enough. Being hacked can cost you a lot, for companies and business owners, it can cost you your customers and clients, it cost you integrity and diminish the image of your brand. For individual users, it could cost you your hard earned followers. These are just few of the damages that can be done to you if your twitter account gets hacked. Now the question is; what are the steps you can take to lessen the possibilities of your company or business getting hacked?
Use difficult passwords: Most people by nature are quite predictable, we tend to use easy to remember details as our access codes and often times, these codes are something that is readily accessible to the public, it could be our names, or a word we’re used to saying, these things are easy to guess for someone else who moderately knows you. Some people are fond of trying to be smart by using words and cues that are so obvious, even an amateur hacker will laugh when they get access, I’m talking about words like “password”, “my name”, these aren’t clever, they’re obvious. Employ complex passwords that would keep you sweating if you ever forget them; passwords that are difficult to guess. Make use of short phrases, unpopular abbreviations etc. Even if you want to keep it simple, you can capitalize some letters or maybe intentionally misspell a word. Whatever you do, the point is to make your passwords difficult to guess, a stronger password reduces your risk of getting hacked.
Limit access to your password to those who make use of the account for important reasons: Aside you and any other person who manages your business, never give your password out. It is very unnecessary to give your password to anyone who doesn’t have a stake in the accounts firm security. Like they say, a secret known to more than one person is no longer a secret, and passwords are very important secrets.
Reshuffle your passwords at intervals: When creating a twitter account, you should have a list of strong passwords that you can shuffle between as time passes. At the very least, you should change your passwords every two months. Take note to store your passwords safely in the advent that you forget. Shuffling your passwords at intervals reduces the chances of your twitter account getting hacked.
Be aware of your internet surroundings: This may seem odd, but it is important. The internet is a pretty big place, one could easily get lost. Often times when we access the internet, we do not pay any attention to things like domain, servers etc. For a twitter user who cares about their account’s security, it is very important to pay close attention to where you login. Many people login to their accounts on various platforms, it could that be you use the twitter website directly from your pc or mobile phone, or an application like Tweetdeck, this safe as it is assumed that Twitter has measures in place on their website that guarantees security. Always ensure to use reputable applications when logging into your account and pay close attention to the URL’s when trying to login, you don’t want to be caught logging into your account on a counterfeit third part site.
Got rid of an employee? Change your password: If for any reason, a worker leaves your employ, or you had to let an employee go, most especially anyone who once had access to your password, you will have to change the password as soon as possible. If your ex-employee holds business.
What are some other ways you can reduce the risk of your twitter account getting hacked? Share your tricks below in the comment section.