Moreover, if bad actors take over your account, they will message you pretending to be you, spreading rumours, and requesting money. It will land you in great trouble, and you won’t be able to recover from this trauma for a long time. But you can prevent this embarrassing condition with the help of passwords. Protecting your passwords is one of the most important things to protect your social media accounts from unseen online threats. After all of this, if social media privacy and security are overwhelming you, then don’t worry. This write-up offers you simple but powerful tips to keep your social media logins safe and sound.
Best Tips for Protecting Your Personal Social Media Passwords!
1. Strong and Unique Passwords!
The golden rules for your passwords are: make them strong, make them unique, and never reuse them to protect multiple accounts. Weak and simple 123456 passwords are friendly invitations for cybercriminals to hack your account. Think of these types of passwords as already cracked. Instead, you should think of your passwords as a secret recipe that only you can cook up. So, here are some rules that help you create strong and unique passwords:
- Mix It Up: Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Go Long: Aim for at least 12–14 characters. The longer it is, the harder it is to crack.
- Never Reuse: Do not use the same password to protect different accounts.
- Make it personal but not easily guessable: you can use silly phrases such as coffee@4pmDaily or a quirky phrase that you understand only.
2. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):
Two-factor authentication is the second line of defense for your social media accounts. It is like adding an extra layer of security to your online accounts against hackers and unauthorized login access. If someone manages to steal your login details, such as passwords and your userID, they still cannot access your account without confirming their identity using two-factor authentication. Without confirming the two-factor authentication, one cannot access your account. Here is how two-factor authentication works:
Once someone has typed the account password in the login window, you will get an OTP, code, or notification on your registered mobile number, email, or message. The unwanted intruder will be asked to provide the authentication code before logging in to the main account. Without providing the authentication code, the intruder won’t be able to access the main dashboard of your social media account. Therefore, enable 2FA on your device to protect against hackers and unauthorized account access.
3. Password Management
Managing your password is another important thing that helps you protect your social media credentials from malicious actors and online hackers. In this regard, you have to use the best safety measures to store and secure your passwords so that no one can steal them from you. The best option available to you is to use a digital vault or a password manager. It can be really difficult to remember or memorize all the passwords all the time. You never know when and where you might need this. In such situations, password managers can deliver you a seamless experience and secure accessibility to your social media passwords.
The best thing about your password manager is that it can auto-fill your login details as soon as you open the app and the login window appears. All you need to do is remember the master key of your vault, and you are good to go. There are plenty of password vaults and managers available out there. It is highly recommended that you choose a trusted tool to do your security work. Here are some important things you need to keep in mind while choosing a robust password manager:
- Look for end-to-end encryption (so even the company itself can’t see your passwords).
- Zero-knowledge policy is a must that allows only you to access your data.
- Stick to well-known, trusted names that have been around for a while.
- Do a quick check for previous security breaches, and if so, how did they handle them?
- The app should be simple enough that you actually use it every day.
- Make sure it works smoothly across your different devices.
- It should support 2FA for that extra layer of protection.
- Back up your vault and password recovery options.
4. Review Privacy Settings
It is highly recommended to review privacy settings now and then, as new features keep coming that can lead to more exposure about you without your knowing. It would be a smart move to monitor your privacy settings to check the data exposure. Here are some things you should check in your privacy settings:
Who Can See My Stuff
It is highly recommended to review privacy settings now and then, as new features keep coming that can lead to more exposure about you without your knowing. It would be a smart move to monitor your privacy settings to check the data exposure. Here are some things you should check in your privacy settings:
Friend / Follow Requests
- Allow only people you actually know to add you.
- Do not accept requests from unknown and random people
Tagging and Mentions
- Check who can tag you in posts or photos.
- Remove permissions to allow everyone to tag you in their posts without your permission.
- It will save you from embarrassing content being attached to you.
Location Settings
- Turn off the automatic location sharing on your social media posts.
- Do not let others know about your location and whereabouts.
Review Ad Preferences
- You should check what kind of data your social media accounts are collecting from your profiles and online preferences.
- If they are collecting some sensitive information, then it is highly important that you limit it as far as possible.
Third-Party Apps
- Check your phone and find out if there are any third-party apps running on your device.
- If so, check what types of permissions they are using in your device to run their operations.
- If they are using your sensitive data, then get rid of them.
- Similarly, find the Potentially Unwanted Apps and Potentially Unwanted Programs in your PC.
- Check what permissions they are using on your device to run their operations. At best, you should get rid of PUPs and PUAs to enhance your device security.
4. Be Cautious of Phishing
Phishing attacks are widespread these days. Hackers use this method to fool you into revealing your personal and sensitive details like credentials, bank details, and credit card numbers, etc. To launch a phishing attack, they use shady emails, fake login pages, and too-good-to-be-true messages. It is highly important that you detect such phishing attacks so that you can prevent the imminent danger. Here are some important tips that help you avoid phishing attacks:
Don’t Trust Every Link
Scammers use real-looking links to entangle you in their trap. They send you messages claiming to be coming from the banks and social media sites. It will use baits like “Your account will be deleted—click here now!” But you have to be cautious. Before you click the link, hover over it to make sure it is coming from a trusted source. Do not fall for the fake urgency in the message. It can be a clickbait to trap you and compromise your sensitive data and device network.
Look for Red Flags
You should check for spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and slightly off email addresses. If you find any discrepancies or contradictory facts in the message, then avoid clicking the links attached to the text. It can be a potential threat from cybercriminals who are looking to ensnare you in their trap and extract sensitive information from you.
Watch for Fake Login Pages
Cybercriminals create fake login pages to beguile you and steal your login credentials. They create almost similar clones of popular social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, and other social network sites. It is highly recommended that whenever you visit a website or social media site online, you make sure it is authentic and trustworthy. Hence, always double-check the links before you fill out your credentials on the opening window.
Avoid Public Wi-Fi
Never use freely available internet connections at public places such as parks, restaurant premises, shopping centers, or other public facilities to connect to the internet and access your social media accounts. Hackers often use these places to target users by setting up fake Wi-Fi networks using the same name as the public places. When you connect to these fake internet connections and fill in the credentials to access your sensitive accounts, hackers record your keys through logging malware. As a result of this, you end up compromising your online privacy and security.
6. Monitor Account Activity
You should monitor your account activity to keep an eye on unauthorized access and security breaches. It helps you detect the fishy and suspicious activities in your accounts and prevent the imminent dangers before they take effect. Here are some effective tips that you can use in this regard:
Check Login History
Most platforms (like Facebook, Google, or Instagram) let you see where and when your account was accessed. If you spot a login from a city you’ve never visited or a device you don’t own, that’s a red flag.
Look Out for Suspicious Activity
Watch for things like posts you didn’t make, messages you didn’t send, or changes to your profile details. Hackers often start small before taking over completely.
Enable Alerts
Turn on security notifications. That way, you’ll get an immediate email or text if someone logs in from a new device.
Review Connected Apps & Devices
Every so often, check which devices are logged into your account and what third-party apps have access. Kick out anything unfamiliar or unnecessary.
React Quickly
If you notice something off, change your password immediately and enable 2FA. The faster you act, the less damage can be done.
7. Use a Robust Antivirus Software
Last but not least, it is highly recommended that you download and install a robust antivirus software on your device to protect from potential online threats such as spyware, ransomware, browser hijackers, cryptojackers, trojan horses, phishing attacks, and targeted malware infiltrations. Black hats use every course of action to infiltrate your device and compromise all the sensitive data and social media access through your device. An advanced antivirus software can detect malware and viruses quickly and remove them from your PC before they run any malicious operations. It can keep your system clean, secure, and immune to unseen online dangers. With the help of this, you can efficiently protect your personal social media passwords.
