“Congratulations, you’re a winner!” 

“Did you know this public figure is trying to make your life worse? Click here for what they don’t want you to know.” 

“Save thousands today with just one click!” 

Spam and bot accounts on social media are everywhere. You’ve likely encountered messages like these that attempt to get you to click on links or to stir your emotions in a frenzy. While bot accounts are usually more of an annoyance than anything, when they’re allowed to run rampant, they can quickly become dangerous to your personally identifiable information (PII) and create an emotionally charged mob mentality. 

Here’s what you should know about bot accounts, including how to steer clear of menacing ones, plus a reminder to watch what you share on (and with) social media sites. 

What Are Bot Accounts? 

Bot accounts are software-automated accounts that try to blend in and act like a real user. They post updates and follow other users, though there isn’t a real person behind the account. A spam account is a type of bot account that attempts to gain financially from its automated posts. Everyday people should be wary of social media bot accounts because they can be used to disseminate false information or phishing scams.  

One whistleblower of a social media giant recently divulged that the platform isn’t prioritizing deactivating bot accounts.1 This apathy sparks concerns about the company’s commitment to the security of its users. In the whistleblower’s same report, he stated that the social media site isn’t taking the necessary steps to protect itself from potential inside threats and it had fallen victim to at least 20 breaches in 2020 without reporting the incidents to the proper authorities. 

How to Spot and Steer Clear of Bot Accounts 

Some bot accounts aren’t malicious (merely an annoying tactic by companies to spread the word about their business), but it’s best to give all of them a wide berth and never click on any links in their posts. Those links could direct to unsecured outside sites laden with malware or drop you in the middle of a phishing scheme. 

You can often spot a malicious bot account by the tone of its messages. They’ll often try to inspire intense emotions, such as excitement, sadness, or rage, and attempt to get users to act or share the post. Do not engage with them, not even to argue their points. When you engage or share these posts with your network, it spreads false information and could dangerously manipulate public opinion.2 

3 Tips to Enjoy Social Media Safely 

Here are a few ways you can take your cybersecurity into your own hands when you can’t be sure that social media sites are looking out for the safety of users’ information: 

Don’t overshare. We all have an oversharer amongst our friends whose constant life updates rule our newsfeeds. Oversharing personal details and events can be more than annoying though. They can also put the oversharer’s PII at risk. Social engineering is a tactic where cybercriminals learn enough about you online to either impersonate you or personalize phishing attacks to your passions to capitalize upon your emotions. To combat social engineering, you may want to set your account to private so strangers can’t lurk and glean valuable personal details. Also, deny follower or friend requests from people you don’t know in real life. It could be a bot account in disguise. Another option: don’t overshare! Keep some mystery about your life and save them for in-person gatherings.
Don’t divulge non-essential personal details with social media sites. When you set up a social media profile, the site usually requests several crucial pieces of PII, but they aren’t marked as required fields. These details include your full birthday (including the year), your full name, and your hometown. Consider only sharing your birthday month and day. Keep your birth year to yourself. That way, your followers can still wish you a happy birthday, but you frustrate phishers and dark web crawlers who are seeking your full birthdate.  
Don’t spread false information. To combat bots, the best thing to do is to not engage with them, or better yet, label them as spam or suspicious. From there, hopefully the social media site can handle the situation. False information can spread like wildfire. Even if a bot’s post is laughably inaccurate, do not share it with your followers. It only takes one follower to believe it and then spread it to their own audience and so on. 

Trust a Comprehensive Security Solution to Watch Out for You 

You can’t trust every company to look out for the safety of your personal information, but one organization you can trust is McAfee. McAfee Total Protection is a comprehensive identity and privacy protection solution for your digital life. Great social media habits go a long way toward keeping you safe online, and you can rest assured knowing that McAfee can fill in the gaps. McAfee Total Protection offers antivirus, identity monitoring, and security freeze in the case your information is leaked in a breach or a bot account gets ahold of key details. 

Keep on sharing your life’s milestones with your closest friends and family online. The next time you update your status, flag any suspicious accounts you come across, so everyone can enjoy social media confidently! 

1NBC News, “Twitter whistleblower alleges major security issues” 

2Journal of Information Technology & Politics, “Harass, mislead & polarize: An analysis of Twitter political bots’ tactics in targeting the immigration debate before the 2018 U.S. midterm election” 

The post Here’s How to Steer Clear of Bot Accounts on Social Media appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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In this career-journey series, Internal Audit Manager Chris shares his recent journey joining the McAfee finance team and why he is always learning something new in his role.

A typical day

I’m an Internal Audit Manager. Essentially, I work with my McAfee colleagues to understand the processes we follow and run tests to confirm everything is happening as it should.

Sometimes people find audits intimidating, but I do my best to reassure people that there are no hidden tricks and I respect their time. We’re just making sure things are going according to plan and we’re fulfilling our responsibilities.

In a typical day, I have three priorities: Dad, Work, Gym.

I’m normally up at 6 a.m. to cook breakfast for my son and myself, and then drop him off at school. His favorite is bacon and eggs! Since I work with people around the world, I catch up on emails and then review the day’s work and catch up with my team. From there, most of my day is spent in meetings with McAfee colleagues or external auditors.

Somewhere in the day I get in a one-hour workout. It’s tough to do sometimes, but I’d say I get to the gym 90% of the time. It’s a great reset for me: a time where I can focus on me and putting my body to the test.

And, of course, I pick up my son from school and have Dad Time! That’s really my day in repeat. It seems like the same thing but feels different every day. I’m always meeting new people and puzzling through different problems. Every day is a fresh challenge.

Joining McAfee

After interviewing with my future co-workers, I was excited to join the company. I thought, “Oh, this company is fun!” The culture seemed to be a place where not only do you get to come for work, but also have sense of community within it.

Also, it was a chance to work for a great boss. I knew she was a great boss because I worked for her before. She gives you the vision, then gives you the freedom to explore and get the work done. You really get to own your work. I appreciate that.​​

At McAfee, employees are a top priority. You’re not just a robot who has to work-work-work. It’s okay to have fun and take 10 minutes out to see how others are doing.

I like the way the company comes together to have contests and other fun activities. In Finance, we recently had a scavenger hunt with 70 people. It was great seeing the faces of people you’ve only talked to on the phone.

Another way we engage each other is with a recognition program called Bravo! You can write a letter to someone saying hey, I appreciate you. That makes you feel more valued as an employee.

I also like the quarterly updates we get from leaders. At other companies, I’ve seen that done once a year. It’s nice to hear from the CEO every quarter about what’s going on in the organization.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Learning and MAHC

There are two parts that make my role so rewarding. The first is I enjoy interacting with people and have a passion for learning. In this job, you hear so many cool stories, and I’m exposed to so many different areas and processes in across the business. There’s always something new to learn. It makes every day different.

Secondly, at McAfee I’m part of the McAfee African Heritage Community (MAHC). We get together and talk about things we want to share with other Community members and the rest of McAfee. I’ve met people I never would run into otherwise. That’s important to me as someone who’s fairly new to McAfee plus having worked remote all this time. It’s very cool to be part of a company that supports having communities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Getting outside my comfort zone

Honestly, my job is always outside my comfort zone. There’s always a new problem to be solved. But I like that. The way I see it, if you’re comfortable, you aren’t growing. You need to do something you haven’t done before to move to the next level.

As an auditor, I’m always helping others understand the audit process and how to provide solid information, so the audit goes well.

​​​​​​​Communication is key

One of the most helpful skills I have developed during my career is communication. I need to establish a rapport quickly in my work so we can work well together. Everybody is different, right? Some are more direct, some are more indirect, and some people are more casual than others. You always need to adjust when you meet people. Good communication skills help prevent misunderstandings, which is especially important in a global company like McAfee with so many different cultures.

My advice to anyone looking to drive their career forward is…

Embrace change! Change is just another way to grow, learn, and realize potential you didn’t know you had. Look at it as an opportunity. Raise your hand up when problems arise and take on that tough problem. The person who fixes the problem is the person everyone remembers.

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