Startlingly, a Google survey reveals that an Instagram account is hacked every 10 minutes. With a staggering 2.4 billion active Instagram users, this translates to a significant number of accounts being compromised daily, underscoring the vulnerability of these platforms. Discover essential strategies on how to protect your Instagram account against cyber threats and hacks. Safeguard your business’s online presence with these effective tips for small businesses relying on Instagram.
The repercussions of losing your Instagram account are far-reaching. From the potential exposure of your details, which can be used for identity fraud, to the risk of your followers falling prey to scams and spam, the consequences are severe. This is particularly critical for influencers and brands whose livelihoods depend on the security of their accounts.
But there are things you should be doing as standard to protect your business Instagram accounts and keep your account and details safe.
Top Tips for Protect Your Instagram Account
Use 2FA
2FA or 2-factor authentication is a two-step process that many companies use to protect accounts. You need to have a verified email or phone number attached to the account, and when you activate 2FA upon logging in, you trigger a text call or email that sends you a number or code for you to enter to gain access if someone does manage to guess your password and gain access, if you have 2FA set up it will automatically trigger this to be sent requiring you to input the code to log in. If you haven’t requested it, ignore the email, log on as you usually would, and change your password, and the person trying to gain access won’t be permitted the account.
Use An Authenticator App
An authenticator app works similarly to the 2FA mentioned above. It requires you to log in as normal and then approve your login credentials by sending you a passcode to enter to gain access. This can be hopeful for accounts where this isn’t enabled for accounts that recommend you use it. This means that only you can log in via the authenticator app, and no one can gain access unless they can access both apps.
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Use a Strong Password
You need to make sure your password is strong and challenging for anyone to guess. It should contain a mixture of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and the more obscure, the better. The longer the password, the more time it will take hackers and other software to break it; even having 8+ characters can extend the time it takes to crack the sword by many years.
Do not use passwords you already use for other accounts, as they could be exposed; they will be used on all your accounts to see if they work.
Secure Your Emails
Is your email account secured? If you have an email account linked to your IG account, then you need to make sure that it is secured because if it isn’t, you are at an exposed risk of being hacked. A hacked Instagram account isn’t something you want to experience, but an unsecured email account can provide easy access to hackers to gain access especially if your 2Fa sends an email, as this can be intercepted before you know it. They have control.
Don’t Give Anyone Else Access
A lot of people are scammed into handing over their login credentials to others in the promise of work or cash payments. Never allow anyone full access to your Instagram account for publishing purposes. Especially if you don’t know the company or the offer sounds too good to be true, because it usually is. If anyone has always said no and only uses trusted parties to help you run your accounts or log in on your behalf.
Revoke Third Party Access
These days, logging in via your social media accounts is a common thing for any company as it allows for easier account creation or third-party publishing. However, regularly reviewing who you have given access to and revoking access to suspicious parties or unused accounts can help you keep your account secure. If you have allowed access and then change your mind, you should remove it immediately by logging into your settings on your Instagram account and finding the option to revoke access.
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Don’t Click Links
Instagram will not send you a DM to say your account has been compromised, and if you know this, it will be easier to discard scammers who are landing in your inbox telling you this. If you have 2Fa set up, you will be alerted to someone logging in by triggering the additional step to log in. If your password has been entered too many times and your account is locked, you will get a text message to your registered number or email to alert you. You will not get a DM or be tagged in posts publically, so ignore them, delete them, and do not click any links that request you to secure your account no matter how official it looks.
