Instagram Confronts Hacking Issues

Having your Instagram hacked is one of the most inconvenient and anxiety-inducing things that can happen in this business. You work hard to expand your audience and post relevant content, only for your account to fall victim to hackers and wind up duplicated, deleted or flooded with ridiculous ads like this one.

Thankfully, Meta is well aware of hacking issues, and has made significant strides this year in improving the security of Instagram accounts. The company recently announced a new site to help resolve instances of hacking.

Here are the new and improved steps for resolving a hacked account, plus a few preventative measures you can take. 

New Website

If you end up in the unfortunate position of being hacked, there is now a site dedicated to resolving your problem. Instagram.com/hacked is a comprehensive, new destination for people to report and resolve account access issues. Put this in your memory bank now, so the next time you face hackers, you know where to go.

If you cannot log in to your account, enter Instagram.com/hacked on your mobile phone or desktop browser. Next, select if you’ve been hacked, forgot your password, lost access to two-factor authentication, or if your account has been disabled. 

From there, follow a series of steps to help regain access to your account.  

The “Phone a Friend” feature

The new website isn’t the only update.

Instagram also implemented a way for people to ask their friends to confirm their identity—and help regain access to their accounts in the process. 

So if you find yourself locked out of your account, you can now choose two Instagram friends you interact with on a regular basis to verify your identity and get back into your account.

Making your account safe

Even with these updates, you don’t want to go through the hassle of getting hacked. There are several things you can do to lessen your chances of your Instagram account being hacked:

• Create a strong password with plenty of numbers and special characters (and change it regularly).
• Avoid authorizing third-party apps, such as apps that track who unfollowed you. 
• Keep contact points — such as email or phone numbers — secure and up to date so that Instagram can securely contact you through them. 
• Turn on 2-factor authentication in settings. 
• Log out of Instagram when you use a computer or phone you share with other people. Don’t check the “Remember me” box when logging in from a public computer, as this will keep you logged in even after you close the browser window.
• Make sure your email account is secure. Anyone who can read your email can probably also access your Instagram account. Change the passwords for all your email accounts and ensure that no two are identical.
• Change your password regularly, especially if you see a message from Instagram asking you to do so. During automated security checks, Instagram sometimes recovers login information stolen from other sites. If Instagram detects that your password may have been stolen, changing your password on Instagram and other sites helps keep your account secure and prevent you from being hacked.

Hacked accounts are one reason social media accounts remain vulnerable. Follow these tips to keep your accounts safe and expand your marketing beyond social media.