Social media has practically become an extension of our daily lives and an essential tool for any business looking to engage customers digitally. However, this great popularity and virality make hacking a social network like Instagram, TikTok, and Whatsapp, among others, probabilistically witty.
Without a doubt, one of the most numerous search intentions is the phrase “hack a Instagram account“. If you have ever noticed strange behavior on your networks and suspect that your account has been hacked, in this article we will address the most common ways to hack Instagram or any other social network, as well as what you can do to prevent it.
Situations that can occur when having an account on a social network
First of all, when you have an account on social networks, a digital footprint is generated. We are the first filter to decide what sensitive information we share or not with others. On the other hand, we must also take into account our privacy settings, since many users have a public profile, with their information available to anyone.
In general, we must be careful with the sites to which we allow access to our information and those in which we place our passwords under the idea that they will help us access our account or provide some extra service, because it may be that It’s a hacker.
What can a hacker do with my account?
There are several reasons why a hacker wants to access an Instagram account or some other social network. Although it is often believed that these attacks focus only on public figures with large sums of money or researchers with relevant information in their hands, the truth is that anyone can be the target of a hack.
For example, they may want to take over your account to steal your identity and impersonate you, either to harm others and take control of multiple accounts (and their information) or to use your identity for other purposes, such as committing cybercrimes.
In this vein, they can also seek to damage your reputation by uploading controversial content and statements that get you into trouble. Likewise, the attack may be more discreet and seek to monitor your activity, and your routines and from there, plan other types of crimes in real life, such as kidnapping.
Signs of a Cyber Attack
Although each social network like Instagram has its characteristics and functions, at the same time they share some points in which it is evident that there is a cyber-attack underway, below are some of the characteristics that a hacked account can have:
- Read messages: When your chats or private messages show you conversations you didn’t do or messages marked as read without you opening them.
- Altered contacts; Friends who were deleted without your having expressly done so, or strangers who are now in your contact list.
- Unidentified publications: Photos, videos, and other content that you do not remember sharing, especially if it is something that invites people to like or enter a website.
- Recent Activity Reactions or comments appear on your notifications, but you are sure that you did not.
- Changes in permissions to applications: Your settings are different from what you remembered, perhaps there are new applications or access that you did not grant.
In general, if there is an activity that indicates that someone else is using your account, you must take action. But it may also be that the hacker is more discreet, this is where checking access to your account can help you detect an intruder.
How to check the latest recent activity on social networks?
In general, email accounts and social networks tend to notify you if they detect a login from a device other than the ones you commonly use, but if you suspect that someone is hacking your account, each social network has different tools. to review where your profile was recently accessed.
On Instagram®, all you have to do is go to your profile, then tap the options bar to go to Settings, find the Security section, and choose the “Login Activity” option.
Now, while each social network has its protocols to help you recover your account, the basic steps are to log out of all active devices and change your password to cut off access to attackers.
Security measures to prevent cyberattacks
We can all be targeted by a hacker, fortunately, some measures can make it difficult for unwanted visitors to access your social media account and therefore end up giving up. In addition to being aware of the terms and conditions you agree to, as well as the information you post, you can take other steps such as: Using strong passwords, using different passwords for each account, being careful with security questions, and sharing anywhere or even with a friend or at the workplace.
These are some of the main measures to avoid being hacked in the fabulous world of the internet.
