Securing the Accounts of the Deceased: Implications of Compromised Profiles.

Increasingly social media accounts are created across multiple platforms with potential long-term use over a person’s lifespan. Social media use over long periods of time can be problematic when the account owner dies as it contains a wealth of information and connections to other users. Messages, pictures, likes, connections, and other social media interaction, over time construct a form of a digital narrative that both may need protection. Problems can occur when these accounts of deceased users are compromised as these profiles can become a treasure trove of content for hackers and can potentially be used to attack other accounts. In this project, we explore possible security implications of compromised social media accounts of deceased users and propose future exploratory studies. This includes a discussion of transitional weaknesses; the time between a person’s death and public knowledge of their death which is when accounts are especially susceptible to being attacked. In addition, we discuss concerns in order to better protect these accounts.KeywordsSocial mediaDeceased usersSecurityTransitional weakness