459 ARW Airmen should tighten social media security Published March 27, 2015 By Maj. Tim Smith 459th Air Refueling Wing JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Security and privacy issues tethered to social media have made their way to the top of the news headlines. Most recently the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) released online a hit list targeting 100 servicemembers, 57 of which are Airmen. The list was detailed with names, addresses and photos. How ISIS acquired the information is under investigation, at this time. But, when social media users don't employ strong security measures online, personal information can be easily acquired. The 459th Air Refueling Wing operations security program manager said "a lot of people have a misconception that 'I'm going to let my friend see my things on social media. But they forget about their friends' friends, (and so on)." So one's account doesn't have to get hacked for another to acquire one's information. If one doesn't implement some simple security measures, then all it will take is someone to search the account holder's page for information. The Air Force encourages all Airmen to ensure privacy settings on online and social media forums are adjusted to limit the amount of available personal information. And as it relates to personal social media accounts, Airmen are encouraged to remove personal details such as physical addresses, email addresses and phone numbers. Furthermore, the Defense Media Activity's Guide to Keeping Your Social Media Accounts Secure suggests a few ways to help protect your social media presence. Some are listed below: · Pick a strong, unique password with at least 6 characters of letters, numbers and punctuation · Think before you click - don't click on suspicious links, even from a friend or company you know · Watch out for fake pages, apps, games, and of course, online offers that are too good to be true · Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know - scammers can create fake accounts · Never give anyone your login info (username and password) · Update your browsers - some browsers have protections, and can warn you about fake sites · Run anti-virus software to protect you from viruses and malware that scan your computer · Don't use the same password on more than one site The threats are real. And they are there every single minute of the day. Someone may attempt to acquire an Airman's available personal information via surfing one's unprotected social media account or maybe even through hacking. If this does happen to you, you could be targeted for exploitation or crime. That is why securing your social media presence is so important. But, what do you do if you discover you're being targeted? The 459th Air Refueling Wing operations security program manager said if faced with any type of online threat, "you're best bet is to call security forces first. And if you can't get them, go through your chain of command." Thus, it is important you know how to contact your local security forces. And there are also other entities that can assist with social media and other cyber threats like the local anti-terrorism officer, the OPSEC program manager, and the local Air Force Office of Special Investigations. And of course, you should always know your command post's phone number. At the end of the day, you can be your best protection, by taking steps to secure and limit your information in the social media landscape.