Over the past 10 years, social media has skyrocketed in popularity, a digital addiction that has taken the world by storm. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok—the current favorites—allow (and encourage) users to share a ton of information about themselves. When you look past the surface, you’ll notice that the social benefits carry quite a few security vulnerabilities.
High-Risk Social Sharing
Some of the biggest security vulnerabilities occur when users take the following actions:
- Geotag their location in a post/story
- Show off personal assets, such as cars and jewelry
- Disclose upcoming vacations
- Share birthdays (their own or those of loved ones)
Any time a user shares personal details on a social media platform, this disclosure always carries a serious risk. Let’s say a user decides to give friends or followers a walk-through of their home as part of a social media trend. Most people will watch for the sheer enjoyment of seeing the décor or ogling lavish furnishings. But a limited number of viewers may watch for the wrong reasons. Criminals are notorious for harvesting useful information from social media. Watching your home walk-through video may tempt them to break into your house.
Such videos often reveal information about the following:
- Entry and egress points
- Alarm system
- Security cameras
- Pets
- Valuables, such as jewelry
- Car keys
Taking the Next, Nefarious Step
Many people want to be perceived as cool on social media but do not understand the risks involved in sharing their lives with the public. In this connected day and age, too many people are oblivious to the events happening around them.
Since the people watching these videos typically know the name of the individual posting it, a quick online search can reveal the poster’s home address. Scrolling on the poster’s social media feed may disclose some of the vulnerabilities mentioned above, such as vacations. Armed with the dates of your next planned vacation and your home layout, criminals have the perfect opportunity to strike.
To guard against opportunistic criminals, limit how much information you share about yourself and your family. Many principals and executives of successful companies reveal a generous amount of private information on their social media accounts—information that can be used against them.
If you or your organization wants to see what information is easily accessible online, Integras Intelligence can perform an open-source vulnerability assessment to identify what is out there and the associated risks. The next time you plan on posting that video or photo to social media, think twice and consider the security risks that may affect you in the future.
