Learning how to know if one’s social media account has been hacked and how to take preventive measures to constraint any attempt of hijacking or unsolicited access are one of the less perceived topics among social media users today.
While most of these social media platforms does their best to make the end users account secured using modern high-end encryption and framework, loopholes do occur from time to time where security slackened can be penetrated.
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It is the duty not only of the social media platform, but also of the users to make sure that security measures are put into place to prevent unauthorized access. Being careful and watchful can be of great help when less expected in some situations.
But how can you know if one of your social media accounts has been compromised? When we said social media, we are talking about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Weibo, Hangout, Line, Instagram and other social networks you may be using.
There are ways to know if an intruder has gain an access to your account, we will be highlighting these below:
Unknown status update
This is the first pointer to recognized an account that has been hacked. Most social networks including Facebook and Twitter have a feature called “Status” (this is known as tweet on Twitter), where users can post a short message, this can be viewed by friends, followers, or the general public depending on an user profile settings.
Also, the status will appear on the user timeline. Seeing status update posted using your account, in your name, that you are unaware of is a sign that another person or party has gained access to your account.
Unrecognized conversations
Unrecognized discussions in messages while offline is also an indication of an hacked social media account. If you are seeing discussions erupted in messages that you do not composed, then it is likely that someone else have gained access to your account.
Depending on the hacker aim, the hacked account may be used as a means of contact to compromise friends or followers of the user. It is a known fact that most hacked accounts are used to share porn links or unsolicited contents.
Profile details edited without user consent
This is another way to know if your account has been hacked. The profile picture, profile name, user address and contacts are strictly allowed to be edited by the verified authentic user of an account on most social platform, but if any of these details have been edited or changed without your consent, then it is likely that someone is using your account behind your back.
How to Prevent Your Social Media Account from Being Hacked?
Below are the things you need to apply to make your account more secured and to restrict unauthorized access.
Revoke untrusted app permission
The most common means by which an account can be hacked is by giving permission for untrusted third-party apps or services to access your account. Most websites and apps now offered Facebook sign-in, Twitter sign-in, or Google sign-in for new users who wanted to register for an account on their platform – all the person need to do is allowed the site or app to connect to any of his/her social media account.
While this make it easier to register for a new account, it also enabled the app or service to gain direct access to personal information you may not be willing to share. If you allowed an untrusted app to access your account, then it is likely that the access may be exploited and used in hacking your account.
You can learn:
- How to revoke app permission on Facebook
- How to revoke app permission on Twitter
- How to revoke app permission on Google
- How to revoke app permission on LinkedIn
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is one of the most secured way to prevent an unauthorized access to one’s account. When enabled, a unique code (OTP) will be sent to the user verified phone number or email address anytime he/she tried to login to his/her account, which the person will need to insert on the login page.
If an intruder tried to access your account, you will be aware of it instantly. Most social networks offered this option under the security or privacy menu.
Clear cookies and cache when logged in on public domain or cafe
If you access your account in a cafe, or on a public domain, always clear the cookies and cache data after you have logged out. When logged in on a system, some data still retains after logging out which can be exploit, this will ensure that these data are wiped off on the system. Moreover, learn to click the “ignore” button if the browser asked to save your password.
Use strong password combination
Using the combination of numeric, alphabet and special character as a password makes it difficult to be guessed. It is also advised to use different password for each of your social media account, this will tighten security and makes it hard for all of your account to be hacked simultaneously. Also, make sure that your password contains more than ten characters to be on the safe side.
Conclusion
Social media account can be hacked in so many ways using different means and technologies that users may be unaware of; the account can even be hacked without an user being aware of it. Some hackers are smart while some are dumb, some will simply hide in the shadow to carry out their attack without leaving the faintest trace. It mostly depends on what you are dealing with. But in most cases, prevention is better than cure.
By following our advice, you should be able to curb and prevent unauthorized access to your social media account.
