Application security, Compliance Management, Malware, Network Security, Phishing, Privacy, Vulnerability Management

Trump Twitter fancy raises security concerns

Donald Trump plans to keep his personal Twitter account after he assumes the presidency Jan. 20, raising security concerns.

A prolific tweeter, known for his late night postings, the president-elect told The Times of London that he'd initially thought he'd throttle back on tweeting from his private handle but has now decided to keep in touch with his 46 million followers on social media and counter what he perceives as the mainstream media covering him “dishonestly” by remaining active on his personal account as well as using the official @POTUS handle.

"@realDonaldTrump I think, I'll keep it," The Times quoted him as saying. "So I've got 46 million people right now — that's a lot, that's really a lot — but 46 million — including Facebook, Twitter and ya know, Instagram, so when you think that you're 46 million there, I'd rather just let that build up and just keep it @realDonaldTrump, it's working.”

He explained that response to his tweets is instantaneous.  “I can go bing bing bing . . . and they put it on and as soon as I tweet it out,” Trump said. 

But fans and media might be all Trump attracts with his hyperactive Twitter use.

"Trump's personal Twitter account could be a goldmine for hackers looking to engage in cyber espionage. Hackers could cause major international upsets and scandals by simply posting disinformation,” Adam Levin, Chairman and Founder of CyberScout and author of "Swiped," said in comments sent to SC Media. “High profile figures and government agencies are walking targets for hackers, as we have seen with the hacks of the social media accounts of Mark Zuckerberg, Sony, Neflix and Centcom.”

Levin noted that  “Trump could also be targeted by phishing attacks, where he would only need to click on a malware infected link and could expose sensitive, possibly classified information to cybercriminals.” 

It is not clear what additional steps, if any, the businessman's team might be taking to protect his account but Levin said security must be a priority.  “Cybersecurity must be a front burner issue for this administration when it's our national security at stake," he said.

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