Don’t Let a Hack Hijack Your Feed: A Comprehensive Guide to Social Media Security

Social media is where your business builds its voice, interacts with customers, and drives sales. But because it is so public, a compromised account can be devastating. A hijacked account can be used to post fraudulent links, scam your followers, spread offensive content, or destroy the brand reputation you’ve worked years to build.

Securing your social presence requires vigilance and strict policy. Here is your expanded checklist for Week 2.

1. Lock Down Access: The Principle of Least Privilege

One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make is sharing a single password (like “BusinessName2025”) among five different employees. If one employee falls for a phishing scam, or leaves the company on bad terms, your entire account is at risk.

• Role-Based Access: Use “Business Manager” tools provided by platforms like Facebook (Meta) and LinkedIn. These allow you to grant employees access to your business page via their own personal accounts.
• Levels of Control: Assign roles based on necessity. A copywriter might only need “Editor” access to create posts, while only the business owner should have “Admin” access to manage payment settings and roles.
• Offboarding: When an employee leaves, you must immediately revoke their access. Using business manager tools makes this a one-click process rather than requiring a password change for the whole company.

2. The Threat of “Connected Apps”

Over the years, you have likely used your business Twitter or Facebook account to log into various third-party tools—scheduling apps, analytics dashboards, or quizzes. These are called OAuth tokens, and they often retain access to your account indefinitely.

• The Risk: If a third-party app you connected to five years ago gets hacked, the attackers could use that existing connection to post to your feed or steal data without ever needing your current password.
• The Fix: Regularly review the “Apps and Websites” section in your account settings. Revoke access for any application you do not recognize or no longer use.

3. Recognizing Social Engineering and Phishing

Social media is rife with sophisticated phishing attacks designed to panic you into handing over credentials.

• The “Copyright Strike” Scam: A common attack involves a Direct Message (DM) or email claiming to be from “Instagram Support” or “Facebook Security.” It warns that your account has violated copyright laws and will be deleted within 24 hours unless you click a link to “verify your identity.”
• The Reality: legitimate platforms will never ask you to verify your password via a link in a DM. These are phishing sites designed to steal your login info.
• Training: Train your employees to be skeptical of any message demanding urgent action. Verify the status of your account through the official settings menu, not a link sent by a stranger.

4. Advanced Authentication: Move Beyond SMS

We mentioned MFA in Week 1, but for social media, how you implement it matters.

• SIM Swapping: Hackers can trick mobile carriers into transferring your phone number to a SIM card they control. If your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) codes are sent via text message (SMS), the hacker receives them, bypassing your security.
• Authenticator Apps: Whenever possible, use an authentication app (like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo) or a physical security key (like a YubiKey). These are tied to your physical device, not your phone number, making them significantly harder to bypass.

5. Privacy Settings and Social Media Policy

Your security strategy must extend to what is actually posted.

• Oversharing: Train employees to avoid oversharing personal information that could be used to guess security questions or craft targeted phishing emails (e.g., “Happy Birthday to our Manager, [Name]!” gives hackers a key data point).
• The Background Check: Ensure photos posted from the office don’t accidentally reveal sensitive info in the background—like passwords written on a whiteboard or client files on a desk.
• Policy: Create a clear Social Media Policy that outlines who is authorized to post, what tone to use, and the procedure for responding to negative comments or security incidents.

Summary Action Items: Your Social Media Security Checklist

• [ ] Stop sharing passwords: Switch to Business Manager/Role-based access immediately.
• [ ] Audit existing admins: Check who has access to your pages and remove former employees.
• [ ] Clean up third-party apps: Go to settings and revoke access for old apps you no longer use.
• [ ] Enable App-Based 2FA: Turn on Two-Factor Authentication using an app (Google Authenticator/Duo) rather than SMS text messages.
• [ ] Train on DMs: Warn staff about “Copyright Violation” phishing DMs; never click links in messages.
• [ ] Write a policy: Draft a simple document outlining what is (and isn’t) okay to post.