How One Employee Clicked and Almost Took the Whole Company Down
It started with a direct message.
Carlos, a project manager at a mid-sized construction firm in Arizona, received a friendly message on LinkedIn from someone claiming to be a subcontractor he’d worked with last year. The contact asked for a quick favor, could Carlos review a proposal before their upcoming bid?
It seemed harmless. The message even included inside jokes and shared project references, likely scraped from old posts. But the link he clicked was anything but innocent. Within minutes, the attacker gained access to Carlos’s LinkedIn account and used it to message other contacts, including clients, coworkers, and vendors.
Some received fake invoices. Others got links to malware. The company’s reputation took a hit, and their tech support spent days locking everything down.
Why Your Business Should Take Social Media Security Seriously
This isn’t just a Carlos problem. It’s a business problem.
Social media platforms are no longer just for memes and marketing, they're a gateway to your people, your data, and your brand. And for cybercriminals, they’re low-hanging fruit. When attackers compromise an employee's or company's social media account, they can:
- Impersonate your business and damage its reputation
- Launch phishing attacks on clients or coworkers
- Gain entry to internal systems if reused credentials are involved
- Cause real financial harm through fraud or extortion
It’s easy to think of Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn as just "marketing tools." But when improperly secured, they become attack surfaces which are entry points that scammers can exploit to damage your brand or steal from your network. This is especially risky for small businesses, which often lack formal social media security policies making them the most frequent targets.
7 Practical Steps to Secure Social Media
We get it, your team needs to use social platforms for networking, marketing, and hiring. Here’s how to keep them productive and protected.
- Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
It’s the single most effective step you can take. Enabling MFA on accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can block over 99% of automated hacks.
- Use Strong, Unique Passwords
That means no more "Arizona2024!" across every login. Invest in a password manager so your team can store complex passwords without sticky notes or spreadsheets.
- Educate Employees on Social Engineering with Employee Awareness Training
Train your staff to spot:
- Messages with urgency or emotional manipulation
- Links asking for “quick reviews” or “favors”
- Anyone requesting gift cards, payments, or off-platform conversations
- Review Access Levels
Only essential personnel should have admin rights to company pages. Make sure roles like “Editor” or “Moderator” are used thoughtfully, especially if tied to personal accounts.
- Monitor for Brand Impersonators
Fake profiles pretending to be your executives or business can fool even savvy users. Report impersonators to platforms immediately and notify your network if needed.
- Set an Incident Response Plan
Know who to contact, what to revoke, and how to communicate a breach if it happens. Time matters when accounts are hijacked.
- Audit Regularly
Have a quarterly checklist that includes:
- Reviewing authorized apps
- Checking login histories
- Verifying user roles on all company pages
- A dedicated role to carry out these responsibilities
Cybersecurity Is Bigger Than Firewalls - It’s Personal
Your employees are your biggest asset and often your weakest link. But with the right training, tools, and oversight, they can also become your strongest defense.
At Computer Dimensions, we help Arizona’s construction, engineering, and manufacturing companies lock down every corner of their digital presence. From endpoint protection to social media safeguards, we deliver personalized IT support that keeps your team secure and your business running.
Need a Cyber Security Health Check?
We’ll audit your current setup, identify risks, and help you roll out simple, effective protections.
Contact Computer Dimensions today!
