ANTITERRORISM AWARENESS 

FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING

AUGUST 2015
Terrorists have said they are hunting people 

and their families at home. An al-Qaeda 

handbook tells its terrorists to seek out 

“information about government personnel, 

officers, important personalities, and all 

matters related to those (residence, work 

place, times of leaving and returning, wives 

and children, places visited).”1

1 Al-Qaeda Training Manual, quoted in Sharad S. 

Chauhan, The al-Qaeda Threat (New Delhi, India: A.P.H. 

Publishing, 2003), p. 106

Photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod, US Army
PURPOSE

This pocket guide provides precautionary and 

protective measures designed to mitigate the risk of 

using social networking sites. 

BACKGROUND

In light of the threats on social media against 

Soldiers and their families by terrorist organizations 

such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 

(ISIL, also called ISIS), the Department of the 

Army has published social media messages and 

precautions. This pocket guide provides precautions 

and recommended practices to help protect our 

Soldiers and families.
WHAT IS A SOCIAL 

NETWORKING SITE?

A social networking site, according to the National 

Security Agency, “is a web-based service that 

allows communities of people to share common 

interests and/or experiences. Rather than” stay 

in touch by meeting face to face or with phone, 

text, or video messages, social networking sites 

“allow users to publish information that can be 

read later by other users (a one-to-many form of 

communication) and follow their friends’ postings 

and provide comments.”2

2 National Security Agency, Systems and Network Analysis 

Center, Information Assurance Directorate, “Social Networking 

Sites,” https://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/I73-

021R-2009.pdf
ASSOCIATED RISKS

Social networking sites “promote ‘social behavior’ 

and encourage users to share information and 

inherently trust the information from those they 

are connected to within the” network. “Once 

information is posted or uploaded onto” a social 

networking site, “it should no longer be considered 

private.”3 In fact, social networking sites can present 

an operations security risk to military units and a 

direct risk to the individual. 

3 National Security Agency, “Social Networking Sites”
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS

• Use strong, unique passwords. Consider using 

passphrases for an additional level of security.

• Change your password regularly.

• Use a government e-mail address whenever 

possible.

• Make sure your computer and operating system 

are up-to-date. 

• Keep your email accounts secure.

• Review your authorized applications.

• Use extra security features.

• Minimize the number of people who have access 

to the account. 

• Check for signs of compromise.

• Limit outward signs of military affiliation (such as 

vehicle stickers, home decorations, using your 

rank in your address, or using military slang in 

public). 
• Uniformed military members present in public 

venues or attending publicly accessible events 

should exercise vigilance. 

• Be unpredictable with smart behavior, routines, 

and travel.

• Be alert. Maintain good situational awareness 

by staying alert, knowing what to look for, and 

knowing what is wrong or out of place. 

• Report all incidents of suspicious activity or 

behavior to appropriate authorities.

• Think before you post. Always assume everyone 

in the world will be able to see what you are 

posting, or tweeting, even if the site limits your 

posts to your friends and family. 

• Do not allow others to tag you in images they 

post. Doing so makes you easier to locate and 

makes it easier to accurately reconstruct your 

network of friends, relatives, and associates. 
• Be cautious about the images you post. What is 

in the photos may be more revealing than who 

is in them. Images posted over time may form a 

complete mosaic of you and your family. 

• Once something is posted on a social networking 

site, it can quickly spread. No amount of effort will 

erase it. 

• Review privacy settings and limit who can view 

your social media sites; but do not trust these 

settings as absolute. 

• Avoid posting your home or work address and 

phone numbers. 

• Limit any reference to military, government, or law 

enforcement employment or affiliation, current or 

former, on social media.

• Avoid providing detailed accounts of your day (for 

example, when you leave for or return from work). 
• Do not use “check-ins,” which report your 

location. If they are enabled, disable them.

• Never allow applications to geo-locate you.

• Do not post personally identifiable information on 

social media.

• Do not arrange meetings with people you meet 

online.

• Do not use your social networking site to login to 

other sites. Create another user account on the 

new site instead.
iSTOCK images
HOME INTERNET USE 

SAFEGUARDS

• Keep your antivirus software current.

• Secure your wireless network with a unique name 

and password.

• Limit access to your wireless network so that 

outsiders cannot connect to it.

• Ensure that antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall 

software are up to date.

• Do not send personal information except through 

encrypted links.

• Avoid using public file-sharing services to transmit 

personal information or images.
Antiterrorism Communication Plan cover
MOBILE INTERNET USE 

SAFEGUARDS

• Assume that mobile apps and public networks are 

unsecure. 

• Consider using a virtual private network (VPN).

• Change device settings to avoid automatic 

connection to any public network.
120th Public Affairs / DVIDS
OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC)

Terrorists seek information on Army units and Army 

community activities to help them plan attacks. 

They seek to obtain the same type of information 

that we intend to keep from them. 

Examples of information that you should NOT share 

on social media sites:

• Names and photos of yourself, your family and 

co-workers

• Usernames, passwords, and network details

• Job titles, location, salary, and clearances

• Physical security and logistics

• Mission capabilities and limitations

• Schedule and travel itineraries

• Social security numbers, credit cards, and 

banking information

• Hobbies, likes, and dislikes
SOCIAL MEDIA OPERATIONS 

SECURITY DO’S AND DON’TS

Do’s Don’ts

Practice computer 

security

Don’t discuss work

Before posting 

information to a social 

media site consider who 

might have access to the 

data

Don’t use the same 

passwords for multiple 

sites

Modify your personal 

search profile (the data 

about you that is visible 

to others)

Don’t give passwords to 

others

Maintain reasonable 

suspicion about people 

you don’t know

Don’t use unsecured 

logon within public 

spaces
Do’s Don’ts

Verify supposed “real” 

friends

Don’t expect or depend 

on social media sites to 

offer security or protect 

your privacy

Watch your “friends” on 

social media who may 

post sensitive information 

about you or your family

Don’t trust add-ons

Be careful about 

accessing links and files 

on social media

Don’t be too generous 

with permissions

Question the utility of 

using social media (have 

you weighed the risks 

and benefits?)

Don’t post information 

that isn’t already available 

to the public
TECHNICAL TIPS ABOUT 

PRIVACY SETTINGS

• Keep personal information away from others by 

setting your security to include only friends. Verify 

the identity of those you correspond with.

• Go through each of the privacy settings on each 

social media site that you frequent, and set them 

accordingly.

• Be on the lookout for geo-tagging features and 

disable them. 

• Remember that even with the strictest security 

settings in place, certain details of your personal 

life, if made public, could be a security concern 

for you, your family, or your military unit.

• Unit movements, deployments, personnel rosters, 

weapons information, or other command-critical 

information should never be posted online.
• Do not share private information such as where 

your children go to school, home addresses, 

phone numbers, times and locations of events 

you plan to attend, or other information that 

allows someone to track your routines and 

possibly guess when and where you or your family 

might be.
SMART CARDS

Social media smart cards for Facebook, Twitter, 

photo-sharing services, Google+, and LinkedIn 

are available on the Antiterrorism Enterprise Portal 

and Army One Source website (see the Resources 

section) to assist users of social media with proper 

configuration of account privacy and security 

settings.

Facebook Twitter
Photo Sharing Services

LinkedIn Google +
RESOURCES

• Antiterrorism Enterprise Portal: On Internet 

Explorer, select the Defense Department email 

certificate in order to gain access. 

https://army.deps.mil/army/sites/PMG/OPMG/

OPS/antiterror/ATEP/default.aspx

• Army OneSource Website (see Family Programs 

and Services, “Go To,” iWATCH Army—“See 

Something Say Something”): http://www.

myarmyonesource.com/default.aspx

• U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, 

Social Network Safety, How to Protect Your 

Identity Online: http://www.cid.army.mil/

documents/Lookout/Social%20Network%20

Safety.pdf

• Army Operations Security Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/

pages/Army-Operations-SecurityOPSEC/163005357133404?ref=hl
• Army Operations Security Support Element 

web page: https://www.us.army.mil/suite/

page/589183

• Army Operations Security Support Element 

Family Readiness web page: https://www.

us.army.mil/suite/page/594109
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