check if your Instagram account has been hacked, Instagram is one of the most popular social apps that people use around the world.
due to the popularity and the roles it plays in today’s life and business, scammers and hackers have taken to it.
How to check if your Instagram account has been hacked
it is very important to secure your Instagram account today. if you don’t know much about the Instagram app, or the account, below is some information that will help you to know it very well.
Instagram is crucial for designers, serving as both a marketing and networking tool and a key way to land new clients.
But as with all digital accounts these days, there’s always a chance your profile might be targeted by a malicious party.
“I hear more often than not from my friends and colleagues that they’ve experienced some suspicious activity on their account.”
If you’re worried about your Instagram account being hacked, here are the steps you can take to protect it in the first place, as well as the steps you can take if the worst has already happened
How to know if your account has been hacked
There are a couple of dead giveaways once someone who shouldn’t have all of a sudden has access to your account. Can you still remember your username?
- You all of a sudden follow a lot of people you don’t know and also like their images.
- There are images on your account that you KNOW are not yours
- You don’t have access to your account anymore and you are 100% sure that you’re using the right password and it’s not a technical glitch.
How hackers get access to your account
A hacker will commonly do this in one of three ways:
- Getting ahold of your login information.
- Phishing. In short, hackers will send you a convincing email that has a link to a fake Instagram login
page. If you click it and log in with your username and password, they get your information. Never click a link sent to you via email.
- Using third-party apps. Always revoke access to suspicious third-party apps. Never authorize an app that you do not trust to gain access to your personal information.
How to Protect Your Instagram Account From Hackers
Pick a Strong Password
As more users create Instagram accounts, more hacking and phishing attempts take place.
And the number one culprit? A weak password.
According to Victor Gevers, a security researcher at the GDI Foundation, you should use auto-generated passwords and a password manager for further protection.
It’s also a good idea to use a unique password for each of your accounts, as this makes it harder for hackers to gain access to all of your information.
Once you’ve landed on a potential password, plug it into How Secure Is My Password for a final check this will tell you if your password is strong enough to withstand a hacking attempt.
Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
This step is critically important because it will minimize any future hacking, as well.
Two-factor authentication is a security feature and setting it up is easy.
Simply go to your Instagram settings and enter a specific login code to confirm your login effort every time you (or someone else)
attempts to go onto Instagram from a device that the platform does not recognize.
According to Instagram, there are several two-factor authentication methods you can use with your Instagram account.
Text message (SMS) codes from your mobile phone.
Login codes from a third-party authentication app (such as Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator).
Pay attention to emails from Instagram.
If someone attempts to reset your password, or if Instagram notices suspicious activity on your account, the platform will send you an email informing you of the change
and that means you need to act fast. “I take immediate action as soon as I get a notification or email from Instagram letting me know there was suspicious activity on any of the accounts I manage,” says Krull.
If you receive an email that someone has requested to change your password and it wasn’t you, report the situation to Instagram via the link in that email. Also, call the account center
You should then change your password.
If you receive an email that someone has changed the email address associated with your account, you can “revert the change” via that email notification.
But do be careful—some emails that appear to be from Instagram could actually be phishing attempts from hackers.
Instagram, however, has developed a function to help protect you. If you enter the security section of your app, you can see what emails Instagram has sent you within the last 14 days, thus helping you to verify an email’s authenticity
Don’t install 3rd party apps
Well, at least not until you are really 100% sure you can trust them.
Why? Just think back to the InstaAgent affair. The app – which was one of the top free apps in the Canadian and United Kingdom app store
not only sent your Instagram username and password to a remote server in clear text, it also used the account access to post images on your Instagram in order to promote their app. Not cool, right? So be careful on that front, too.
Check your log-in activity.
Keep an eye on your log-in activity, which can also be found under the security section of the app. If you see suspicious activity here, you can log yourself out of those devices from your current one.
check if your Instagram account has been hacked: What to do when your Instagram account was hacked?
it’s not the end of the world (even though losing your account, even if only temporary, is not a great feeling).
If you still have access to your account, make sure to change your password immediately.
Change the password of all other accounts you use this password with, too. Heck, even better: Just change all of your passwords.
If you don’t have access to your account anymore you should contact Instagram as fast as you can and start their procedure for hacked accounts.