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Lessons learned from celebrity social media hacks

Recently, followers of Justin Bieber's Twitter page may have noticed some strange Tweets from the popstar, including advice for an easier life and a link to a mobile app.

According to Forbes contributor James Lyne, the unusual posts appeared toward the beginning of March, and included the phrase "Justin Bieber Cumberut?" which loosely translates to an emotion associated with being sullen. Another post built upon this, noting that if the singer smiled more, life would be less difficult. These were clearly the online activities of a hacker, which was made abundantly clear when visitors to Bieber's page noticed a Tweet with an attached link to authorize installation of the mobile application ShootingStarPro.

Lyne noted that this Tweet was undoubtedly the hackers' payload, as the individual most likely had some sort of connection to the app and was leveraging Bieber's social media page as a marketing platform.

While this is by no means the first time a celebrity or well known entity's social media page has been infiltrated by hackers, the case does illustrate some important lessons in protection social media authentication information.

How does it happen?
Before examining prevention strategies, it is also important to discover how an attack of this kind can take place. According to Lyne, the majority of hackers utilize one of three approaches to infiltrating a user's social media account. One method redirects Web traffic to a fraudulent page, where hackers craft a page or app appearing to that of a legitimate source to trick users into entering their authentication information.

The second technique involves leveraging easily guessed security questions used to protect the password or credential reset options. Lastly, the third option utilizes a malware attack to exploit security weaknesses and steal authentication information.

What's the damage?
Once hackers have login credentials in hand, they can control an individual's entire social media page, including the ability to access the personal data associated with the account. For the run of the mill user, this information loss can lead to identity theft or a wide range of other fraudulent activities. However, the damage could also go beyond just the individual user. If a person includes any sensitive information related to their workplace, a hacker could use this data to attack the company and leak intellectual property.

Another issue with social media hacking is the damage that can come to an organization's brand. HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes touched on this aspect in an article on LinkedIn, which examined the hacking of Burger King's Twitter page. In this case, hackers posted Tweets stated that the chain restaurant's account had been "sold to McDonalds because the whopper flopped." The message also included the phrases "Freedom is Failure" and "In a hood near you." Such publicity can make an organization appear less credible, and weaken overall trust and loyalty to a brand.

How can it be prevented?
To prevent becoming a victim of this damage, individual and enterprise social media users can implement a few best practices and strategies to boost their overall online security.

The first step to take in these efforts is to craft a better authentication password, Holmes noted. These login codes should be complex and include a number of symbols, letters and other characters that are not easily guessed.

"Simple - even medium-strength - passwords mean vulnerability," Holmes wrote. "With your company's reputation on the line, isn't it work taking a few extra measures to build a password built of steel?"

Lyne also advised utilizing two-factor authentication when possible. This is a system that requires users to verify their identity via two points, including typical login processes and entering a one-time use code sent to the account holder's mobile device. This can provide an extra layer of protection for any type of account.

Protect data in transit with an SSL certificate today. 

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