Social media has become one of the most prominent means of communication and online presence in the 21st century. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, these applications offer their users increased connectivity with friends, a platform to show themselves, and for some people, a channel to grow their business. Unfortunately, of the billions of social media accounts currently active, many have been and will be hacked.
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Hacking occurs for several reasons, but identity theft remains the most common. Hackers have historically stolen account credentials to access a user’s financial details, blackmail account owners into releasing private information, or make social media posts that influence a public outcome. These and more have contributed to the 1000% jump in social media hijacking, as the Identity Theft Resource Center reported.
But this doesn’t have to be the case for you, as you can take these three steps today to prevent hackers from accessing your accounts.
1) Use an appropriate password for your social media
In a recent ExpressVPN study on password reset times, 24% of people surveyed spent the most time changing their social media passwords. And while users could be resetting their passwords simply because they’ve forgotten them, it’s pretty clear that hacking of accounts plays a major role here.
As an account owner, it’s important to set both strong and hard-to-guess passwords. The password should contain upper-case and lower-case alphabets, numbers, and symbols while sufficiently long. Also, consider using a unique password for every platform so that many accounts do not suffer if one is hacked.
2) Enable 2FA
2FA, or two-factor authentication, is a widely available feature that can increase the security level of your social media accounts. It involves an extra security inquiry after inputting your login details. This could be a PIN sent to your phone number or email, a code to be retrieved from an authenticator app, a biometric feature, or something similar.
As emphasized in a Google Research paper on account hijacking, strengthening the security authentication for your accounts would significantly reduce the likelihood of being hacked. Thus, while 2FA might cost you a few more seconds to log in, it would save you tons of trouble in the long term.
3) Vet all third-party platforms
Several other applications might access one or more of your social media accounts. Because sharing information with these apps opens up another exploitable channel, it’s best to play safe here.
Find the apps you no longer use, and deny any permissions you may have granted them concerning your social media accounts. Then go through the apps you currently use, and do the same for apps that don’t require such permission. Also, consider studying the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy of apps connected to your accounts to know exactly how your information is used.
Keeping your social media secure
If a social media account is hijacked, it could mean that the account is not as secure as the owner thinks. This could be due to a weak password or a general need for more account security and privacy awareness. However, with the few steps listed in this article, you should be on the right track regarding social media security and be more comfortable sharing great moments with your friends online.
