Social media’s 4.48 billion people love to connect with their friends and family online. If you have Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, VK, X or one of the many other social media platform accounts, you’ll always be at risk of the account being hacked.
Any account you have online can be the focus of an attack, but without a phone number to call, it can be tricky to regain access to your social account.
A few tips from our experts in cybersecurity in Miami on what you should do the moment you realize your account is hacked are:
1. Request Account Recovery
If you can’t access your account, you can request recovery links from:
You'll need to provide identification and prove that you’re truly yourself and not a hacker trying to access your account.
2. Change Your Password on Another Device (If you still have access)
If you still have access to your account but notice that it’s hacked, you can go on a separate device and change your password. You’ll then want to scan your device for malware that may have led to the account being overtaken.
It's also possible that you used the same password on your socials that you did on an account that was part of a data breach.
3. Post About the Attack on Your Account
Post on your account about the hack and warn your friends, followers and contacts to avoid clicking on messages or links that you’ve posted. Hackers may have tried to scam your followers using fake links or even ask them for money.
4. Remove Posts
If any posts were made on your account, be sure to remove them. You should work on removing any links that may have been placed in your profile, too. While you’re at it, review some of your previous posts to be sure that the hacker didn’t inject links into them.
5. Review Recovery Information
Go into your account settings and check to see if the hacker changed any of the key information that you have in place. Often, the hacker will add their own account recovery email, which you’ll want to remove.
6. Change Your Email Password
If you’re unsure of how your social account was compromised, it’s possible that the hacker gained access to your email account to request a password reset and overtake your account. You'll want to take this time to:
- Log into your email account
- Change your password
- Check the account for any suspicious activity
7. Review Followers
Hackers may block your family members or unfollow them so that they don’t report suspicious activities to you. In this case, you’ll want to add these individuals back. A quick review of who you’re following will help you see if someone important has been unfollowed or blocked.
Note: One of the best tips for anyone reading this is to set up two-factor authentication on their social accounts. You can virtually eliminate your risks of an account being hacked with two-factor authentication enabled.
Do you want to harden your business’s security and keep your accounts safe? Contact our cybersecurity company in Miami to learn how we can help.