SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.
This week, we asked: Would you use a two-step authentication process to secure your social media accounts if such a service were available?
- Yes: 75.80%
- Not sure: 14.65%
- No: 9.55%
Recent security breaches at Twitter have certainly gotten SmartBrief on Social Media readers’ attention. But even before the Associated Press was hacked, Twitter was already working on a multifactor security solution, which should shortly be available to all users.
Security experts are uncertain, however, as to whether these kinds of security features will actually protect users from such attacks. I think readers would be wise to embrace a two-step security solution — but not rely on it. The truth is that we’re always going to be in an arms race with hackers and other malevolent Web forces. This isn’t a social media problem; it’s a Web problem. You need to have a plan in place to protect yourself, but also need to constantly educate yourself as to the latest dangers — and have a response plan for what you’ll do if the worst should happen.
Are you prepared to respond if your organization’s social media account security is compromised?