Social media is amazing. As well as staying in touch with friends, you can catch up on all the latest news, watch adorable videos and spy on that crush. Unfortunately, we’re also aware that between catfishing, banking fraud and cyber-bullying, you need to take measures to stay safe online. While we might think we’re keeping our digital profile more secure by using just one photo across all of our various accounts, according to one expert, it’s actually making us a target for criminals. Violet Blue, an investigative reporter specialising in cybercrime, has drafted a handbook for women to stay safe online, and she warns the profile picture is a massive problem. Writing in The Smart Girl’s Guide To Privacy, Blue explains: "The [profile] photo is the biggest mistake women make. Different pictures make it more difficult for cybercriminals to put together a digital portrait of you." One photo used across all accounts will make it easier for a criminal to link all the accounts you have on each network. By knowing your profiles, hackers or criminals can quickly build up your daily routines, where you work, your friends and family and your lifestyle choices – making you a target for attacks in real life, burglarly or online fraud. Blue recommends instead opting for different profile shots for each account. As well as making all your account settings private, Blue also advises covering up that webcam at all times: "Put a little Post-it note, sticker, or even a piece of tape on the webcam of your computer or smartphone. Webcam hacking—they are capturing images of you unaware—is widespread, and the software to do it is really, really cheap." With the instances of revenge porn now becoming more mainstream, Blue says women can fight back – but it might cost you a bit extra: "Make your social networks private. Then—this can cost thousands—hire services like Abine.com or Reputation.com. You tell them what to look for; they check every month and start getting stuff taken down. They work to drive down negative search results. “If you can't afford that, DIY: Post, post, post positive content about yourself. Overwhelm the bad stuff with good content. Eventually the old stuff will just go by way of Google's 40th page,where no one ever looks." While it’s easy to get intimidated or scared by news, knowledge is power. So make sure all your security settings are as strict as possible, change those passwords and start looking for alternative profile pictures. Now. H/T Elle US