Before you think we’ve gone mad and turned to cyber security, don’t worry! We’re still in the business of physical security, and believe it or not social media has a fair number of physical security risks, not just digital ones. Whether you use it for your business or your home, you’re potentially giving away a lot of information about your location and even your existing security, which is why you need to be aware.

Open Invitations

Holidays are very exciting times for everyone. Sometimes we can get a bit over-excited and share our pre-holiday and travel journey on social media, and then post dozens of dreamy holiday shots to make all of your friends back home jealous. Don’t worry, we all do it.

But we really shouldn’t. Because what those posts and photos are doing, along with making your friends jealous, is rolling out a big red carpet for all of the local burglars to come and have a try at breaking in. In fact, research shows that there are around 50,000 holiday-related posts made across social media every day – and that around 80% of burglars use social media to plan their next target.

Honestly, we don’t blame them. You’ve just announced to the world that your house is empty most of the time. Even if you have someone checking in on the plants or your pets, they know it will be easy enough to break in at night. That means your home is an incredibly appealing target. On average, 1 in 12 holidaymakers are broken into once they post on social media about their travels. So do yourself a favour, and if you are going on holiday, wait until you get back to post about it on social media.

The Hidden Dangers In Pictures & Videos

Did you know that every time you upload an image or video to social media, you’re also sharing a ton of extra information? It’s called metadata, and it’s hidden information that’s coded into the image to help computers understand it. And believe it or not, there is a LOT of information in that code. Around 460 metadata tags in fact, including:

• Camera details like:
  • Physics (shadows, lighting, reflections)
  • Aperture
  • Geometry (vanishing points, distances, 3D models)
  • Image sensor (fixed pattern noise, colour filter defects)
  • Optical (lens distortion or aberrations)
  • File format (metadata, compression, thumbnails, markers)
  • Pixel (scaling, cropping, cloned or resaving)

• Image metatags, including:
  • Image size
  • Location data
  • Smaller thumbnails of the image
  • Make and model of the camera that took the photo
  • GPS co-ordinates when the photo was taken
  • Timestamps for when the photo was taken

Some of that information you don’t need to worry about, but a lot of it you do. Especially the last two. If someone knows how to read that metadata file (which goes everywhere your image does), then they will be able to see the exact location of your office, your living room or your favourite walking route. And because the metadata is captured when the photo is taken, not when it’s uploaded, it’s all too easy for a smart hacker to build up a picture of your life and routine. Then they could do things like plan when you’ll be away from the house for a few hours so they can break in, for example.

Before you panic too much, there are ways to strip your photos of that data, and stop your phone from capturing them. You just need to know where in your device settings to look.

And that’s just 2 of the big reasons social media could be the weak spot in your home security. Now, we’re not saying social media is a bad thing. It’s a fantastic tool for keeping in touch with loved ones, especially during this difficult time.

But it’s also something we all take for granted, and if you’re evaluating your home security, it’s something you need to think about. If you’d like to know more, or just get some free advice about home security, we would love to help. Just get in touch with our team today to arrange your free consultation.