For many people, sharing their day-to-day lives on social media has become a part of their daily lives, including their work lives. While this allows you to keep friends and acquaintances up to date with what you are doing without the need to exchange messages, it also introduces several risks that could affect employers, colleagues, or even the user themselves. In the worst case, it could even put your job at risk – for example, if you break a company policy.

A recent survey revealed that most small business owners are aware that their employees’ use of social networking applications poses a security threat. However, according to ESET, with the right approach, there are ways employees can use social networking without exposing themselves or their employers to unnecessary risk:

Know the company’s policies. 

As an employee, you are likely to want to promote the company and its benefits in order to boost your own profile and that of the brand. One of the quickest and best ways to do this is through social media. And while you may be acting in good faith in trying to promote the positive, you may be harming or even breaking some of the company’s internal rules.

If you want to post about your work or employer, the best way is to review the company’s social media guidelines and policies. If there aren’t any, or it’s unclear what you can and can’t do, the best option is to talk to someone in human resources who is up to date with all company policies.

Use apps on work devices, but with special care. 

Corporate devices are a mainstay of business life. While they are primarily used for work and allow colleagues to keep in touch, companies often allow them to be used for personal things as a perk. However, that does not mean you have a free hand to do with them as you please. It is important to remember that these devices are still monitored by company administrators and connected to the company network, so many of the activities can be reviewed. If you decide to solve your daily issues like looking for some research paper writing help for you or your close ones or ordering something for your home, prepare yourself for being watched. In addition to it, social networks are rife with scams, so if you fall for a phishing scam or click on a suspicious link, this can lead to company systems being compromised with ransomware, keylogger, or other malware.

In the case of these devices, the enterprise and administrators are responsible for their security for the most part. This means instituting cybersecurity best practices, implementing reputable security solutions, and having a proper strategy for installing updates. But that doesn’t mean they have nothing to do: they must update and patch devices whenever they request. And be aware of common scams that can be found on popular social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. Additionally, clicking on links to dubious sites that could compromise devices could, at best, lead to some negative looks or, at worst, a dismissal.

Don’t expose too much.

Much has been said about overexposure of information on social networks, whether it is about one’s personal life or the lives of people around them, such as family, friends, and even children. However, the same applies to professional life: by oversharing information about work, the user and their employer are inadvertently putting themselves and their employer at risk. For example, sharing too many photos of a workplace can allow attackers to gain insight into the environment and make it easier for them to attack the company’s physical defenses. Or, with personal data, adding too much information on social networks can make it easier for someone to impersonate a user and commit identity theft.

To mitigate most of the risks associated with overexposure, the easiest step is to limit and filter what you share on social networks: do not share photos or information that reveals too much about yourself or your employer and its offices. Also, review the privacy settings of social networks: not everything you do needs to be shared with the general public, so limit it to people you know and trust. Applying this advice throughout your online presence is recommended, not just at work.

Don’t be careless with photos of the workspace. 

Photos in the office, whether home office or company, tend to be popular on social media, as people want to share how hard they work or show how organized their workspace is. But these photos can be too revealing if certain precautions are not taken. The photo could contain a variety of confidential information:

• It could have documents on the desk that belong to the employer’s intellectual property or company secrets.
• A sticky note could have login credentials.
• The computer screen may reveal a client’s confidential data, which could run afoul of data regulation laws that come with heavy penalties for the employer.

The simplest way to avoid such cases would be not to post such desktop photos, or if you do, to check the work desk in detail and assess whether anything visible in the picture could pose a security risk.

Navigating social networks in the early 2020s can be tricky, especially with attackers getting more creative than ever with scams and strategies to compromise devices with malware. And the stakes are even higher, as people today like to share all aspects of their day, including work-related tasks. This presents a threat vector that cybercriminals could exploit. However, mitigating the risks is not that difficult: you need to remain vigilant and have a good dose of suspicion when it comes to things you find on social media, be aware of your company’s policies and follow the cybersecurity best practices imparted by your IT department. Overall, this should keep you on the safe path, protected from most threats.