Examples of Recently Hacked Accounts and Risks

If you do a quick search on the internet about Security risks on Instagram, you will find a lot of studies explaining how easy online attackers can break their code. The increasing flow of people logging in every day is like an open barrel where unethical hackers can take anyone’s data and do whatever they want with it. Instagram usually works with the basics when it comes to making its users aware of their security.

How Can Instagram Account Get Hacked And What Resources Are Available For Protection?

Users should be informed that their IG accounts can get hacked by some of these methods:

• Phishing (The most used method)
• Coding (Vulnerability detection)
• Variety of third-party applications, such as InstaRipper.
• A forgotten password trick
• CheatDroid
• Spyware infection on PC or smartphone
• Brute-Force software

These are some of the soundest recommendations which one can use to prevent getting hacked:

1. Create a Strong Password

Would you believe if someone told you that at least 90% of the people online in the world use the same password for every single account they have in social media, bank accounts, and plenty of other utilities on the web? Let’s top this little fact with something more: at least 80% of this same group of people uses their name, a date, or the most basic combination of words as pass-codes. They might as well publish their financial information in an open forum to make themselves such an easy target.

You can make a strong password by using a specific combination of letters and case numbering that is unique and significant for you. That way, you can have a password that it’s impossible to crack by brute force. A secure password looks like this: 97hstMMrgh34. As you can see, this combination probably doesn’t make much sense in your head, but using significant letters and numbers for you can make the combination relevant to you. Please don’t use your name or the word “password” as a pass-code. Anyone can crack this under 20 minutes or less.

If you are good remembering sentences, then you can create a password strong enough by using a phrase that is significant to you with the inclusion of a number that has some meaning. Forget your age or a year. Using a password like “Peterhouse1234” is another open invitation to be cracked or hacked. However, if you choose a secure phrase such as “ThisIsMyVault_569” combining upper and lowercase, you’ll give a hard time to anyone who tries to mess with you.

2. Using Two-Step Authentication

Instagram finally added two-step authentication to make it easier to recover your password or your account if you get locked out. Two-step authentication also allows the use of biometric authentication; that way, only your physical traits can get you access, such as your fingerprint, your face, or the iris of your eyes. If you are too worried about safekeeping your data, this is the way to go. Just keep in mind you will have to run the scan every time you access the app.

Getting Locked Out of Your Instagram Account

Getting locked out of your own Instagram account is probably the most random and infuriating thing that can happen to anyone. Nobody expects it, but you become a target the moment you start to use IG as a shopping ground. Instagram has already been the target of Russians bots in the past, locking out thousands of users out of their accounts and making most of them impossible to get back given the shoddy recovery policy that was in place.

Instagram has gone a great length to fix these issues, and they currently have a yearly challenge to invite crackers to find the weak spots of their code. Sadly the company still has a long way to go when it comes to improving security since there is currently a lot of software out there that can bypass their defenses when it comes to granting access to their privacy settings. Ransomware attacks are still pretty common in the platform, especially for high profile accounts and influencers.

How Instagram got the Fame

Instagram is the social media darling of the current decade, just as MySpace and Facebook had their time in the sun. Instagram currently reigns supreme until something new comes over to replace it. The site now boasts well over one billion users, with almost 500 million users active every day. The app was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and dates back to 2010 as an exclusive iOS app that was instantly a hit, given the simplicity of its features.

Mark Zuckerberg took notice of the fast-growing app and saw a lot of potential on it and bought the service for a billion dollars back in 2015. By those days, the app had made the jump to other OS such as Android and Windows. The basic premise of Instagram was sharing a moment or a particular photo using vintage filters. They would eventually add communication features such as messaging, location display, tags, likes, and trend topics.

Like every successful platform, Instagram can’t escape criticism. The harshest feedback has plagued the platform after Facebook bought it. The corporation wanted to enhance the platform and make it something more than what it was. Since then, they have changed the interface, increased censorship, and added features to compete with other platforms such as Snapchat. They also have loose regulations when it comes to the type of content that gets a free pass.

One of the most significant downsides of the acquisition seems to be the inability of Facebook to make Instagram a secure platform when it comes to safekeeping the data of its users. The team working at IG claims to have everything under control. Still, until not so long ago, the mere task of recovering a forgotten password was a titanic effort that required multiple checks of your identity. This has made Instagram the recipient of some of the scariest stories about identity theft.

Final Words and Conclusion

According to authority sites and publications such as SecurityEquifax , Instagram has its weaknesses like any other social media platform. Still, the security of the data falls heavily on behalf of the user. Most attacks happen when the user of social media gets lazy about their safety. Using the same password on every platform, you access on the web is just about the worst you can do.

You have to consider how much data you have online. Some people are careful about it, but even those have necessary information such as their social security number and credit cards safeguarded with a weak password. Instagram is doing everything they can to do better, but users need to put some effort into it as well.