Business Security Information

Many businesses today use social media sites as a marketing tool as well as to touch base with existing customers.  Some of the most popular social media sites include Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Myspace.  Of course, there are others out there, and it seems like new ones are becoming available almost on a daily basis.  Do you ever think about what information you are providing others when you  use these sites?  A little information can go a long way.  For example, I read a story recently about a businessman who owned and operated a video-related business from his home and decided to go on vacation with his family.  He is a Twitter user and also has his own website for his business.  While on vacation, he sent Twitter messages out to his followers. When he returned home, he discovered that someone had burglarized his home and had stolen a lot of his video equipment.  An additional note:  he also had his own Flickr page where he had posted pictures of his computers, bicycles, his flat-screen television, and other related items.  It is not known for sure, but it is believed that the information that the businessman put on Twitter about being away from home and updates related to their vacation may have allowed the burglar to know when they would be returning home, and that the home was currently empty.

It may never be known for sure whether the information included on Twitter allowed the burglar to know that they were not home, or if it was just a random act.  One thing that is for sure, though, is how much someone can find out about you by simple looking at information you provide about yourself or your business online.  Add in a little additional research, and you would be shocked how easy it is to find information regarding a person or a business.  What you put on-line stays there and is accessible to almost anyone who is willing to look.

How Easy Is It?

Lets look at this case of burglary.  From the information the businessman provided to his followers via Twitter, we would know when he was leaving, the approximate location of his vacation destination, and when he would be back from the vacation.  We could put that information together with the pictures on the man’s Flickr page that gave some information related to the layout of the home as well as some of the items available in the house.  With a little research on the ownership of the website or on the business name, you should be able to determine where the person lives.  You could also use on-line yellow or white pages or pull up information on the incorporation of the business using the state’s Secretary of State website to determine the mailing address of the business or, in this case, the person’s home.  There are other sources for this information, especially if you are willing to spend a little money. Even without paying for any information, it would not be hard to determine where this person lived.

Pictures on a person’s web page can also be used to determine location.  Looking at the website of this businessman and some of the pictures on Flickr, it would not be hard to determine the general area where he lived from the photos and the descriptions.  He had a picture of a realty sign with a phone number in which he stated that he thought he had gone to school with the realtor.  In addition, his  mobile phone was listed on his “About” page.  Just from what seems like limited information, it is not hard to piece it all together to find the person, the person’s family and where they are located.   What seems like innocent information when looked at separately is not so when put together.

What Can I Do?

Beyond just staying off of these types of sites what can you do?

• Avoid the biggest trap of too much information.  Do not provide more information then you need to. You want to communicate with friends, family, business associates and customers, but the information can be exposed to all kinds of people, not just the good guys.  Do not write your whole life story or provide every business detail on these sites.
• Be aware! A little caution and paranoia go a long way in reducing these types of problems.  The issue of social engineering which I wrote about recently can come into play here.
• Change your settings on the social media site to improve security. For example,  most sites have profiles that can be set as public or private.  Private means that only those people you have as connections or friends can see your profile.  Also, most of these sites have other privacy settings you can change, such as what can be found out about you when searched and how other people are allowed to contact you.  Each site has its own unique settings, so make sure you research each site completely before exposing your private information.
• Delete old Twitter messages. You would be surprised how much you can determine about someone just by reading old Twitter messages.
• Lastly, be careful of who you link to or allow as friend or contact. Don’t just accept someone that you do not know.  Check others out to determine that they are who they say they are.

Information gathered from social networking sites can be used for more than just a burglary which was noted earlier in the article.  It would not be hard for a stalker, disgruntled customer, a competitor, a computer criminal, or others to use this information for less than desirable purposes.  Be sure to use these sites with security in mind.

Related posts:

1. Seven Kidnapping Security Tips
2. Social Engineering Means What?
3. Obfuscated What?