Why Social Media Is a Cybersecurity Issue

Where Social Media and Cybersecurity Collide

Unlike many business applications, social media platforms often rely on personal accounts to grant access.

For example:

• Company LinkedIn and Meta Business pages are frequently connected to employees' personal accounts

• YouTube channels are commonly tied to individual Gmail accounts

• Social media management tools connect to multiple platforms through a single account

• Third-party tools like Canva, Adobe Express, Linktree, and scheduling platforms have access to business accounts

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes are often sent to an individual's cell phone
  
  

The result is a web of interconnected systems that can become difficult to manage and secure.

If an employee's personal account is compromised, there's a chance the attacker gains access to company assets as well.

The Governance Questions Every Organization Should Ask

Business leaders know they have company social media accounts, but far fewer know:

• Who owns each account?

• Who has access?

• How many administrators exist?

• Which agencies or contractors are connected?

• Where are passwords stored?

• How are MFA codes managed?

• What happens if the primary owner leaves the company?

• Who approves new social media channels?

• What is the process for recovering a locked or compromised account?
  
  

If you don't immediately know the answers, you're not alone.

But uncertainty is often the first sign of a governance problem.

The Hidden Risks of Poor Social Media Governance

When organizations don't establish ownership and security controls, several risks emerge:

Former Employees Still Have Access

One of the most common issues is discovering that a former employee, contractor, or agency still has access to company accounts.

The reason behind their departure doesn’t matter. Lingering access creates unnecessary risk and can become a significant problem. Social media accounts should be included in every employee and vendor offboarding process, just like email and other business applications.

Too Many Admins… Or Not Enough

Organizations often swing between two extremes: everyone has admin access, or one person controls everything.

Both create risk.

Too many administrators increase the chance of accidental changes, account misuse, or compromised accounts. Meanwhile, relying on a single owner creates a single point of failure. If that individual leaves the company, becomes unavailable, or loses access, critical business accounts can quickly become difficult to recover.

A better approach is to limit administrative access where appropriate while ensuring every platform has a documented backup owner.

Accidental Information Disclosure

When people think about social media risks, they often imagine hackers taking over accounts.

But many incidents are accidental.

While most social media incidents aren't malicious, they can still have serious consequences.

An employee might:

• Share a photo with confidential information visible in the background

• Post an image showing employee badges or physical security controls

• Reveal details about an unreleased product or service

• Accidentally publish content from the wrong account

Small mistakes can create significant security, compliance, or reputational issues.

Third-Party Risk

Marketing agencies, consultants, freelance designers, social media management platforms, and creative tools often have access to company accounts.

The risk isn't necessarily the third party itself. The risk comes from the additional access points introduced into your environment.

If a vendor's account is compromised, an agency employee leaves, or permissions aren't properly removed when an engagement ends, your organization could be exposed.

Organizations should review third-party access regularly, just as they review employee access to other critical business systems.

Account Security Is More Than a Password

Your social media credentials should be treated the same way you treat credentials for any critical business application.

That starts with strong governance.

Organizations should establish password policies that require:

• Unique passwords for every platform

• Strong password complexity requirements

• Secure storage and sharing procedures

• Documented ownership of credentials

• Password updates when employees, contractors, or agencies leave

If your social media passwords live in spreadsheets, shared documents, email threads, or sticky notes, it's time for a better process.

Using a secure password management platform, such as Keeper Security, can help organizations maintain control of credentials while securely sharing access with authorized users.

Just as importantly, MFA should be required everywhere it is available, even if the platform doesn't require it.

Organizations should also document:

• Who receives MFA prompts

• Which phone numbers are connected to accounts

• Backup authentication methods

• Recovery procedures

It's surprising how many organizations discover an MFA code is tied to a former employee's personal phone number only after they're locked out.

A Growing Consideration for Compliance

For organizations operating in regulated industries, social media governance may have compliance implications as well.

For example, NIST 800-171, with validation under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), requires organizations to control what information is made publicly available and establish procedures for publishing information externally. It also emphasizes least-privilege access and documented policies governing what information can and cannot be shared on publicly accessible websites and social media platforms. Organizations handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) are expected to maintain approval of workflows and content review processes around public communications.

Even if your organization isn't required to meet NIST 800-171 requirements, these are still smart business practices.

Social Media Is More Than a Marketing Tool

Social media may live within the marketing department, but from a risk perspective, it's also an extension of your organization's cybersecurity footprint.

The same attention given to email, cloud applications, and endpoint security should be applied to your social media ecosystem. Strong governance, clear ownership, secure access controls, and regular audits can help protect both your brand and your business.

Want to evaluate your organization's social media governance? Download our Social Media Governance Audit Worksheet to assess account ownership, access controls, password management, MFA settings, third-party access, content governance, and more.