How to make sure you don’t get hacked like Mark Zuckerberg
If there’s one thing we can learn from Mark Zuckerberg’s LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest accounts being hacked, it’s that anyone can get hacked. More than ever, social media platforms are suffering massive data breaches: 32 million Twitter accounts, 160 million LinkedIn accounts and 360 million MySpace accounts have been stolen in recent months. And with the Facebook mogul himself falling victim, it begs the question: how can you protect your social identity?
Here are 4 simple, yet effective ways.
- Create unique, complex passwords
It seems all too obvious, but the most common password in the Twitter data breach was “123456”. Mark Zuckerberg’s password was “dadada.” A critical component of a strong password is using a variety of letters, numbers and characters. Although it makes it a little more difficult to remember, it’s worth it in the long run.
- Use a different password for every social media account
Although it’s convenient, do not recycle passwords. Not only did Zuckerberg use the weak password “dadada”, he used it across all three social media platforms, broadening his exposure to hackers and enabling them to access his information in one fell swoop. Recycling is usually great practice, but not when it comes to passwords.
- Use a password manager
Now that you are using complex passwords across all of your social media accounts, you need to securely manage your accounts and credentials. A secure password management app like Intel Security’s True Key App helps generate strong passwords in addition to securely storing your credentials.
- Always enroll in two-factor authentication
Enrolling in two-factor authentication or two-step verification is an optional feature for users on most sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. In addition to entering your password, you’ll be sent a code via text or phone call to enter to enable you access. Although it makes the login process a tad tedious, it protects you even if a hacker steals your password.
Until the password becomes obsolete and social platforms buff up their user- authentication processes, these 4 tips will better protect your social identity across all platforms and prevent you from being “zuckered.”