Like most social media, Instagram is also vulnerable to being hacked. The targets are not just ordinary users, Instagram accounts belonging to famous stores, such as artists, officials, politicians, and even brands have been victims of hackers. Usually, hackers use Instagram accounts that have been taken over to commit fraud and other cybercriminal acts.
This is certainly detrimental to the original account owner, because his name was used by hackers to commit criminal acts. To be more vigilant, it’s good to know the characteristics of a hijacked Instagram account. The following are the characteristics of an Instagram account being hijacked by someone else: .The user cannot login to the Instagram account.
There is a “foreign” image that appears on the feed page, but the image is not personally posted by the account owner.
.Your Instagram account suddenly follows other users’ accounts.
. There is strange activity, such as spam filling the feed page.
. Personal information has been changed, such as bio, profile photo, e-mail address, or phone number.
What to do if your Instagram account is hijacked
So, what needs to be done if your Instagram account already shows the characteristics as above?
. Immediately change your Instagram account password. If you have been hacked and failed to login, use the account recovery option by clicking “Forgot password” and follow the next steps as soon as possible
. If you have successfully logged back in, immediately activate the two-factor authentication (2FA) security feature.
. Report cases of account hacking to Instagram. Can take advantage of the “help” feature which can be opened via profile > settings > help > report a problem
.Check your login activity. To do this, click profile > settings > security > login activity. You can see which locations your account has logged in to. If there is a suspicious location, click the three-dot icon at that location, then click “logout”
. Revoke access to suspicious third-party applications. To do this, open Instagram via a browser, then click settings > apps and websites > select suspicious sites/apps > revoke access to revoke access or view and edit to make adjustments.
. Make sure your phone number and e-mail address in account settings are yours.
How to prevent Instagram account from being hijacked
To prevent your Instagram account from being hijacked, there are several things you can do.
.Do not connect Instagram account to Facebook
Many users use their Facebook account to log into Instagram accounts and other applications.
Although fairly practical, these efforts can harm users. If Facebook’s credential information is revealed, then hackers can instantly take over all accounts connected to Facebook.
. Use a strong password
To avoid account hacking, users are advised to use a password consisting of a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. As much as possible, create a password that is difficult to guess. Users are also advised not to share passwords with other people, even close friends and relatives.
.Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication is an account security system that requires users to perform two-step verification when logging into the account. Usually, the authentication is in the form of an account password and a special code sent via SMS or e-mail. As an additional form of security, Instagram provides a two-factor authentication (2FA) feature that users can enable.
1.Open the Instagram application and immediately go to the profile menu located at the bottom right side of the application.
2. Select the account three horizontal lines and select the menu settings.
3. Select the security menu > two-factor authentication > and press the “Get Started” button.
4. There are three types of 2FA methods to choose from, namely through the Instagram, WhatsApp, and SMS applications.
5. When selecting the SMS option, the user will be asked to enter a six-digit code sent via SMS. 6.Next, screen capture of the five given backup codes. These five codes can be used to recover an account, if the user forgets the password used. Similar to the 2FA method using SMS, users who select the WhatsApp option will receive an authentication code. However, the code will be sent via message on WhatsApp, instead of SMS. Turn on privacy mode on Instagram account
When this mode is enabled, other unfollowed users cannot see your profile and posts. Privacy mode can be activated by following these steps: Login to your Instagram account. Select settings > privacy. Slide the toggle to the right of the “Privacy .” option
te account” until it turns blue. The account has entered privacy mode (Private).
Protect Instagram data from third-party applications The information contained in the Instagram account can be used to log in to various types of sites, applications, and games. This method is more practical to use because users no longer need to register a new account on the site, application or game that they want to use. But before logging in using an Instagram account, users must be able to wisely choose whether the application is potentially dangerous or not.
. Log in to your Instagram account via a computer browser.
. Select settings > apps and websites In this menu, users can see a list of sites, applications and games that have access to their Instagram account.
If there is a suspicious application, users can easily click the revoke access button to revoke access or view and edit to make adjustments.
Avoid clicking on links from untrusted sources Not a few articles on the internet also include links or links. Moreover, on Instagram Stories now, all users can add a link. Users should be careful before clicking on such links. Because it is not uncommon for hackers to create fake login pages to trap users and take over the victim’s account and password.
Use VPN
VPN can encrypt IP addresses, so as to provide privacy for users who want to surf the internet, including when accessing Instagram.
