It was only a few years ago when Meta’s reputation took a hit when approximately one million users had their login information stolen. Cyber threats can ruin a company’s reputation and cause the company to lose money and a list of other headaches. Here are four ways to protect your company’s social media from cyber threats.

1- Strong Logins

Start by making sure passwords are hard to guess. Instead of using one-word passwords, create phrases with a combination of letters, characters, and numbers that are hard for criminals to crack. Do not use any part of your company or product names as passwords.

Each social media account should have a different password. To prevent all your accounts from being compromised, ensure each social media account has a different password. Limit the number of people who have access to passwords. The more people who know passwords, the more likely they fall into the wrong hands.

Use two-factor authentication for each social media account. When someone tries to gain access to any of the company’s social media accounts, the system sends a login code via email or text message to a specific email account or phone number.

2- Cybersecurity Education and Training for All Employees

Most security breaches are preventable with training and updates on the latest security problems. Companies need to develop a guide outlining social media use and password management. Next, hold regular training meetings to teach employees how to recognize threats to social media accounts and how to react. Employees should learn to identify security problems, including phishing emails, social engineering manipulation, and suspicious websites. Also, show employees the best way to keep secure company information private. Finally, prioritize cybersecurity and run practice cyber attacks to give employees hands-on practice.

3- Account Monitoring

Monitor social media accounts regularly. Frequent monitoring will help to identify unauthorized access or unusual behavior. Require an extra person to review and approve all social media material before posting. Prompt removal can occur if an unreviewed post appears.

Keep a log to keep track of all activity on your social media accounts, including logins, scheduled posts, and account changes. Report any changes that were not approved right away.

Review the privacy settings on all your company’s social media platforms. Platforms change their privacy settings regularly. Companies need to stay up-to-date on changes. Use the tools on every platform to manage who sees your posts, contact information, and other personal information.

4- Protect Personal Devices

Thanks to convenience, many social media posts come from an employee’s phone or laptop. Those devices need to be protected. Hacking a personal device makes it easy to hack other things, such as the company’s social media platforms. Employees need to check and perform safety updates whenever they are available.

A VPN, a Virtual Private Network, will also help to keep devices safe. A private network will keep employees from connecting to unsecured internet sources.

All businesses need to ensure that they are secure. Today, social media is a part of doing business. A cyber attack on your social media can do more than damage your reputation. It could cost you the business. Take steps to protect your business.