Taylor Wilson | @_twils Social media platforms began as a way for everyday users to share status updates and photos with their friends and family. Now they have evolved into major advertising platforms for brands. However, these accounts are not given additional layers of security. Logging on to a company’s Twitter requires just a user name and one password. Because of this we’ve seen many Twitter hacks, or twacks, that are occurring due to poor security measures by both Twitter and corporation’s marketing teams.

The interesting thing about these “twacks” is the unexpected result they can have on a brand.  Social Media Today compiled some statistics and data that highlighted the positive aspects of the Burger King twack.

With the amount of retweets, clicks, follows, and press generated for Burger King from this twack, the company received a monetary value of almost 1 million dollars for nothing.  Maybe that’s why these brands decided to stage their own hacks…

To prevent this from happening to your company, develop a strategy to protect your brand by educating employees using clear policies and guidelines like these suggested by Forbes. Twacks can happen to normal users as well so take some precautions to prevent this from happening from you. That means no more 123456 passwords.  Never choose a real-word password that can typically be found in a dictionary. Password cracking software can easily guess passwords like these. Avoid storing your password in plain-text email; these systems can be vulnerable to hackers. Twitter advises to use common sense and watch for suspicious links, never giving your username and password out to unknown parties, and keeping your computer and operating system up to date. With these tips, hopefully you won't be a victim of the next twack.