Instagram Account Hacked.? How to Deal with the Issue

Security on the internet, especially on social media platforms is quite questionable. There is always a fear of accounts getting hacked. People are openly sharing their personal information on social media platforms quite often. Naturally, hackers with bad intentions would want to compromise this information. There are also other miscreants who have no specific intention but they just need to break into someone’s account.

We get various reports of people saying about their Instagram account getting hacked. Today we will discuss the same topic. In this guide, we have put up various safety mechanisms.  You can follow these to keep your account secure from hacking incidents.

Instagram Account Hacked.? How to Deal with the Issue

First, let’s check how to even know in the first place that your Instagram account got hacked.?

Account Data

In case someone is trying to access your Insta account by changing password or email you will get a notification about it. We suggest that you keep a tab on your account contents. Always double-check the no of posts you did is the same or something has been tampered with.?

There have been various such cases, where a person’s account got hacked. The hacker then posts questionable content over the compromised account.

The best way to get details is to check the Account Data on your profile. It has all the info on login, mail ID.

• open your PC web browser,
• Then go to your Profile > hit the Settings icon.
• Now click on Privacy and Security > select View Account Data.

How to Fix an Instagram Account Hacked Scenario

Let’s check out the various troubleshooting techniques we can use to fix a possibly hacked Insta account.

Resetting the Password

the best and the most common way to have a secure presence on social media is to change the password of your account frequently. People always create easy-to-remember passwords. Mostly based on something related to them. This is a big mistake. Those who hack passwords are clever enough to override these kinds of easy passwords. They usually carry out attacks such as social engineering to guess the password. If the hacker is an expert at his job, it won’t take him much time to jack the account.

Again, hackers may use tools to decipher passwords. So, with an easy password, it’s quite easy to hack it. So, users have to construct a password with a combination of numbers, special characters, and an alphabet. It should not be a name or any simple thing related to you.

If your account is hacked, then you won’t be able to log in.

• On the login screen, you will see an option for Reset Password.
• Click on that option to get a new password setup option via your email.
• Check your email.
• Reset and confirm the new password.
• Try logging in again.

Setting up Two Factor Authentication for your Account

It’s the same as you get a unique OTP for making bank transactions every time you use your Debit/Credit card. Likewise, when you log in to your Instagram every time, you will receive a unique code on your phone number. You need to enter the code to get logged in as the real and authentic user.

Instead of regular SMS, it is wise to use some applications such as Google Authenticator. Your phone number may be vulnerable. It can be duplicated or the third party can infiltrate the information. So, generating the code through the Authenticator App is a better solution. In fact, Instagram will offer the same advice.

To enable Two-Factor Authentication, you have to

• Go to Settings > Security 
• Under Login Security tap on Two-Factor Authentication.
• Next, follow the instructions on the screen.
  

Presence of Suspicious Applications

Often users integrate suspicious applications with Instagram. Though not all apps are to be blamed, anything that is from a dubious source should not be allowed in the first place.

If someone hacked into your account, then there is a possibility that the hacker may have given permission to some apps/ So, log in to your account. Go to Profile > Edit profile > Authorized Applications. Check the list of apps. Ensure that they are actually of some use. Otherwise, remove them. This will also give you an idea of if someone else installed the apps.

The Process of Instagram Account Restoration

The first and foremost thing is to act quickly when you get any official email that says of a change in email ID or password. This mailer should come with an option to reset the password in case you did not do any changes.

Basically,

• you have to set up a reset password request to Instagram.
• The firm will send you some code which you need to write up on paper.
• Then take a photo of your own holding the code clearly visible.
• Next, you have to specify which device you use to access your Instagram Account.
• Now, send all this to the Instagram security team.

Fact-checking and authentication will take some time. So, expect a few days or a week before Instagram provides you back with your account. You will get notifications about your account restoration via email.

So, that’s about it. In case you want to keep your Instagram account secure then make sure to follow the practices we have listed above. They will make your account more secure and your app usage more enjoyable. We hope that you found this article informative.