Have you ever had a friend on social media send you a message saying I think your account has been hacked because they got a friend request or an odd message?
Have you ever got a private message from a friend saying you need to check out this video?
If you said yes to any of these questions, here is a break down to tell if you were really hacked or your account is just being spoofed?
HACKING
Hack Definition : use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system.
Hacking on social media is when someone is able to get into your account without permission. They usually send messages through the private messages on that Social Media platform. Once you click on the link or the video they can get your information and hack your account.
Two things to do:
1. When your account is hacked, reset your password. Knowing how to make the best password:
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- A Long Password is the way to go. Choose nothing shorter than 15 characters, more if possible. You can make it a sentence.
- Mix up the characters. The more you mix up letters (upper-case and lower-case), numbers and symbols. The stronger your password is and the harder it is for it to be attack for it to be crack it.
- Avoid common substitutions. Password crackers do know the usual substitutions. Like a password that is FUNTIME or FUNT1M3, the attackers can crack it with ease.
2. When you get a video or an odd link from a friend, let them know that they have probably been hacked and need to change their password. You can give them the advice from the information about resetting their password from above.
SPOOFING
Spoof Definition: 1. imitate (something) 2. hoax or trick (someone)
When you are spoofed, it is someone duplicating your page. When you go to the spoofed page it usually just has your profile photo and sometimes your cover photo. This doesn’t mean that the person that has created this knows your password.
What to do:
1. You can put a post on your wall that someone has duplicated your page and that if they get a friend request to NOT accept it and report it to the social media you are using. When I get a request from a friend that I know that I am friends with already. I go to the page and see how much info is on it and if they might of posted that they had to start a new page because of this or that before I accept their friend request.
2. When your page is spoofed, just go to the duplicate page and report it to the social media you are using.
Side Note: If you decided to setup a personal page for your business (I highly suggest making a business page instead of a personal page) make sure you use a different photo for your profile and cover photo.
Contact Michelle Suman at JamSum Media & Design for your help in Web Development, Social Media Management and Marketing | www.JamSum.com | 937-597-2787
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