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Chicago Tribune Scott Kleinberg column [Chicago Tribune :: ](Chicago Tribune (IL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 03--The Internet has been abuzz as of late with news of celebrities being hacked and their most intimate, personal photos stolen. What's worse, whoever was responsible has shared the photos using social media and other means. The FBI is investigating. Apple investigated and found that its iCloud and Find My iPhone services weren't breached but that certain accounts were compromised in a "very targeted attack." No matter how it happened, how famous your are and who was at fault, this is a great time to provide some reminders on how to keep your social media accounts safe. The password is never ... Here's the problem with traditional typed passwords: People are lazy. They'd much rather use the same one over and over or use a really easy to remember one than go the extra mile to protect their accounts. Here are some super simple tips when choosing a password: --Never use anything related to your name, address, birthday or pets' names. If someone really wants your information, these are things that can be found pretty easily. --Make your password 14 characters or longer. I remember writing columns when the recommended length was 11 characters, but as hackers and machine get smarter, so must we. --Add special characters. Substituting a lowercase e for a 3 or 7 for an r worked fine in its day, but we're way beyond that now. You need to embrace the exclamation points and percentage signs, and you can't just dump them at the end of a bunch of letters and numbers. Get in there and mix it up. Just write down your passwords and put them some place safe to make sure you have them when you need them. --Different passwords for everything. Your bank accounts and your Facebook account should never have the same passwords. The password is always ... I was talking with a colleague last week who logged into Facebook and somewhat proudly exclaimed "I haven't changed my Facebook password in like 3 years." If I had a buzzer, I'd slam it hard right now. This is not a badge of honor. I recommend checking and changing your passwords once every 3 months at a minimum to be safe. A little bit of work goes a long way. Use all the safeguards afforded to you. Some platforms offer extended log-in safety. For example, Facebook has Trusted Contacts who can help you if you're every having trouble logging into your account. Twitter offers a mobile phone component where a phone number is tied to your account for extra password security. Always check the settings page of your favorite platform to see what's available, and if it's offered you should use it. Check your settings. Every time you allow another app to post to Facebook or Twitter, you are granting a new third party permission. Many times, the vulnerabilities in account come through these apps. It's easy to remove this access, so if you don't need to offer it, revoke it. You can always add it back later. Watch what you post. While I'm all about freedom of expression, I would recommend watching what you post online. In the case of the celebrities, the problem may be a weakness in the cloud. I'm the first one to tell you to back up your data, but I'd strongly advise against backing up nude photos. Or taking them, but that's a subject for another column. Be safe out there. These tips aren't the only ones, but they're a great start. What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg with hashtag #SoSocial. He might select yours for use in a future column. ___ (c)2014 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |