Before social media became an area to voice one’s opinions or call out others, most of these services allowed you to simply share your thoughts with some photos. Fewer people actually do this today, and perhaps it would be good for the country – dare it even be said the world – if social media returned to being more about social.

However, one group, the uniformed, may “overshare” more photos and information than it should. In recent years this has been a problem. The New York Times covered this in January 2019Some secrets of NATO were revealed in social media posts

DoD has warned service personnel about posting photos of military bases. The U.S. Army reminds soldiers to adhere to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This includes not linking or posting material which violates the UCMJ, basic rules for soldier conduct. Soldiers should also be aware that social media platforms cannot be used to post/post comments on supervisors and release confidential information.

Many concerns are being raised about how service personnel could use social media to harm them or target them.

Targeted By Foreign Actors

Experts are concerned that the threat of foreign threat actors using social media to target military personnel could present a serious threat. Agents could approach them to try and win their trust. This professional foreign threat actor may take a while to get to know them and then convince or bait them.

Tom Garrubba (director of Third Party Risk Management) with Echelon Risk + Cyber said that Service members have a unique national security element to their roles. Foreign threat actors can befriend and win their trust in the long-term, but only then will they convince or bait them into revealing sensitive personal or business information. Humans have an innate desire to be liked. Many people do bizarre things to maintain the positive vibe in their social networks.

Problems could also be in the app itself. Garrubba recommended that members of the military do everything they can to find out who developed and owns an app, as well as how data is shared or captured.

“Often, these apps – like TikTok, WhatsApp, and others – allow the data to be sent to places such as China and other geo-politically sensitive regions without the user having any idea as to what is happening behind the scenes,” Garrubba continued. If a military member were to make use of such an app, they would do well to not discuss any personal information, including your family and position. They also should avoid commenting on or discussing strategic or political matters. They must be aware that such remarks can remain online indefinitely and could easily be used by others to threaten or entice you or your loved ones.

Spear Phishing

The same can be done to service personnel as for businesspeople. Many times, what someone shares on …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron