Are your social media accounts secure from hackers?

Recently, hackers took over several high-profile Twitter accounts. Tweets coming from high-profile people like Elon Musk, Kanye West and Barack Obama promised followers they would double their money if they sent Bitcoin within 30 minutes, all in the name of giving back to their community. Sounds like a good deal, right?

It turns out hackers were able to scam people out of $100,0000 in just three hours with this con. The fact these fraudulent tweets came from legitimate, verified accounts was perplexing and robbed many out of their hard-earned money.

Twitter has since reported that this was a sophisticated case of social engineering, where scammers were able to trick Twitter employees into gaining privileged access. This is especially important to raise awareness about right now because so many of us are working from home, where our guards may be down as we rely heavily on technology to communicate.

According to a report from Arkrose Lab, a fraud prevention platform, cyber fraud rose 20% in the first quarter of 2020, showing the effects of COVID-19 is having on the digital world.

As our “new normal” continues and businesses pivot their plans, Better Business Bureau is seeing many relying on technology and wanting to increase their digital presence, which makes cybersecurity a priority.

Businesses of all sizes are targeted by cybercriminals looking to hack into their system, steal their data and sometimes hold it for ransom. Small businesses are targeted more frequently because they often don’t invest in the proper cybersecurity infrastructures.

Sometimes employees can pose a significant risk, which makes training and awareness a critical part of successful business operations. Consider implementing processes such as educating employees on best practices and pitfalls, establishing checks and balances, and motivating each worker to protect company data. There should also be processes in place, along with checks and balances to protect against threats.

Whether you are working in an office or from home, keep these tips in mind:

• Beware of phishing. Scammers try to trick you into clicking on a link that may result in a security breach. They prey on employees in hopes they will open pop-up windows or other malicious links that could have viruses and malware embedded in them. With just one click, you could enable hackers to infiltrate your organization’s computer network.
• Prioritize password protection: Strong, complex passwords can help stop cyber thieves from accessing company information. If a cybercriminal figures out your password, it could give them access to the entire company’s network. Creating unique, complex passwords is essential. And always opt for two-step verification.
• Connect to secure Wi-Fi: Your internet connection should be secure, encrypted, and hidden. If you’re working remotely, you can help protect data by using a virtual private network. Avoid public Wi-Fi networks, which can be risky and make your data vulnerable.

To access BBB’s cybersecurity toolkit for businesses, go to bbb.org/cybersecurity.