It's Not Just Celebrities Who Should Worry About Their Social Media Accounts Getting Hacked

No one would deny that being a celebrity comes with a lot of perks. The fame, the fortune, the accolades–all are part of celebrity status. But the price tag of stardom sometimes includes unwanted attention from critics, stalkers, and now social media hackers. Public attacks on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have also become a part of celebrity life. However, when those in the public eye have their own social media accounts hacked, it’s a very public event. When a VIP social media account suddenly posts outlandish and offensive statements, it can be a shock to fans and followers. But even more so, it’s a public relations crisis for the prominent account owners whose accounts have been hacked.

Jessica Alba, an actress in Fantastic Four movies, was the focus of one such attack earlier in the year. Her Twitter account was hacked, and racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and other troubling tweets were posted in her name. Soon after the discovery, the tweets were deleted, and the account remained open. Although the perpetrator is still unknown, the actress is just one name in a long list of personalities whose social media accounts were hacked. Just some of the others include Katy Perry, Drake, Robert Downey Jr., Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Superstar or not, having a social media account overtaken is a very real threat. Businesses as well as individuals using Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and a host of other social media apps are all vulnerable to having their credibility and good name pirated.

The responsibility for social media safety is an ongoing conversation, but it currently falls on both the user and the app creator. Twitter, Facebook, and others have implemented additional security measures helping verify an account holder during sign-in. Using 2FA (two-factor authentication) or MFA (multi-factor authentication) is always recommended to protect identity and passwords. But it only works when the account holder uses it, so check your accounts to see if it’s offered and enable it. Also avoid signing-in to an account using another app, especially with social media. If one account is compromised it can spread to the other apps when signing-in. When asked if you want to use your Facebook or Google account to login, just say “no” and create a new login combination that is unique.

When purchasing or downloading apps, only get them from official sites like Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Sideloading apps from other sources is never recommended as they often carry malware and other hacking tools. Both Google and Apple scan apps for malware before making them publicly available, although it’s not a perfect system. Also, going back to where security itself starts–with long passwords made up of letters, numbers, and symbols–sets the tone for device security. Reusing passwords opens the door for hackers to enter your other apps, and no one wants that. In short, don’t sacrifice security for convenience–it’s never worth it.

So, whether your name is up in marquee lights or painted on your mailbox, keeping your social media accounts safe from hacking makes everyone a winner.