HACKING ON SOCIAL MEDIA: HOW THEY DO IT, HOW TO AVOID IT, & WHAT TO DO IF IT HAPPENS TO YOU
BY HEIDI MCIVOR ALLEN
Malicious hacking has become incredibly common. Nearly 2,200 Americans are victims to cyber-attacks every day, which equates to more than 800,000 attacks annually. According to Norton, More than 50% of adults fear they will become victims of cybercrime, 63% of consumers are worried someone will steal their identity, and 78% of consumers are concerned about data privacy. We want to help ease some of these fears by helping you avoid cyber-attacks and providing you with the steps to take to get your accounts back if you are hacked.
HOW DO HACKERS GAIN ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS?
Social media is the perfect outlet for hackers to access your accounts and other personal information. Be careful about what you share online because the more information you volunteer, the larger the target you put on your back.
Hackers will use the information they learn about you on your social media pages, or even Google, to orchestrate the perfect scam to exploit or impersonate you. These scams are designed to entice people to download malware, send money, share more sensitive information, or disclose log-in details.
A report from a security company Tessian, which helps prevent people from falling for scams, found that 84% of people post on social media every week, with two-fifths (42%) posting every day. More than half (55%) of the people Tessian surveyed have public Facebook profiles, while 67% have public Instagram accounts.
You may not think about it at the moment, but the posts and photos you share might include the names of your friends, family, and loved ones without your realizing it. These details can help a hacker guess your password or answer common security questions. Many cybercriminals also know that people reuse passwords more often than not, allowing them to hack into your other accounts.
Here are some of the top ways hackers can gain access to your social media accounts:
Here are some of the top ways hackers can gain access to your social media accounts:
PHISHING SCAMS
MALICIOUS APPS
WEAK PASSWORDS
PUBLIC WI-FI
CLICKING ON LINKS
BROWSER EXTENSIONS
WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT IS HACKED
- Change your password so that you can no longer log in or delete your account entirely
- Use your account to gain access to other accounts that are linked to it, such as your email account
- Steal your personal information, like your address or employer
- Use your account to trick other accounts into clicking on links or downloading malicious apps, etc
- Use your account to spread spam or malware
- Post offensive or embarrassing content on your behalf
- Send messages from your account without your knowledge
- Delete important data files
HOW TO AVOID HAVING YOUR ACCOUNTS HACKED
Set your social account profiles to private
Avoid passwords that have anything to do with what you share online
Play the defensive if a message feels off
Set up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
RECOGNIZE RED FLAGS OF A HACKED SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
To avoid interacting with an account that has been hacked, here are some warning signs to keep an eye out for:
- You notice strange posts or messages on your account that you didn’t write
- You get a notification that your account password has been changed and you can no longer log in to your account
- You are receiving strange messages or friend requests from people you don’t know
- You notice your profile picture has been changed without your knowledge
- You start getting spam messages or comments on your posts
- You get an error message when you try to log in, even though you’re using the correct password
- Your friends tell you that they have been receiving strange messages from your account
IMMEDIATE STEPS TO TAKE IF YOUR ACCOUNT IS HACKED
If you suspect that your account has been hacked, you should act as quickly as possible to stop them from doing more damage through your account. Here are some immediate actions you can take:
- If you have the capability, change your password ASAP and make sure it is a strong, unique password that you’ve never used before
- Enable multi-factor authentication if you haven’t done so already. This is the extra layer of security every account needs
- Submit a ticket report to the social media platform. With Instagram, request that they provide you with the Face Identification feature so you verify you are currently trying to access the account
- Review your account settings. If you notice certain settings have been changed, reset them to the preferences you had before
- Check if your profile picture has been changed and change it back if it has
- Double-check for posts or messages sent on your behalf and delete them
- Unfriend or block any suspicious users who have sent you messages or friend requests recently
- If you’re still having trouble logging into your account, contact customer support. They should get back to you between 3-7 business days
- Be incredibly careful with your personal information and make sure the sites are verified and legitimate before typing in any personal or banking information
- Change your passwords on other online accounts, especially if you use the same password for multiple platforms
HOW MCIVOR MARKETING CAN HELP YOU WITH HACKED ACCOUNTS
Here at McIvor, we have witnessed this process firsthand:one of our team members’ Instagram accounts was hacked and did not have two-factor authentication set up. Within seconds, the hacker changed her password, changed the email associated with the account, and enabled two-factor authentication–making it seemingly impossible for her to recover her account.
A quick trick for Instagram is that if you’re having an issue, shake your phone while the app is open. The app will then prompt you to report a problem to customer support immediately. Due to our team member’s account being associated with business accounts, Instagram acted swiftly to help her recover her account.
What Business Services Does McIvor Marketing Offer?
We are so glad you asked! From setups to start-ups, to businesses in growth and transformation, McIvor Marketing specializes in a variety of services to meet your needs. Our Phoenix based digital marketing agency can help with website design & development, logo design, branding, off-line marketing design and strategy, paid search management, social media management, email marketing, display advertising and more!
Not ready to dive into hiring a full-time marketing director? Maybe you’re just curious about how your marketing is performing. We can help you set up trackable ways to measure your marketing ROI with a project-based digital audit to gauge current performance. We can also help you get your social media advertising portals set up. We also offer training on Google Analytics, Facebook Business Manager, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Canva, as well as how to plan content and brainstorm ideas to help you grow through research.
Check out our full list of services and reach out with any questions.
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