What to do when your Instagram account has been compromised

Regardless of how much you think your password on your Instagram account is good or strong, it is vulnerable to hacking, and if that

 

happens, you will need to know how to fix it.In this article, we will explain what you should do when hacking your Instagram account, and we will also help you in Preventing hacking into your Instagram account in the future.

How do you know if your Instagram account was compromised?

When someone tries to change the email or password associated with your Instagram account, Instagram will notify you. However, it is possible for someone to log into and use your email account without your knowledge.

Instagram only sends an email if your account is accessed from a different region or country.

In this case, you should see the previous activity on your Instagram account. Take a look at your stories, posts, comments, and message messages to see any changes or updates that you didn't know about. If a friend hacks your account, you will be able to find out.

You can also use the Account Data section of Instagram to view information related to login activity, privacy changes, and associated email addresses.

And if you can still log in to your Instagram account.

Open it in a browser on a desktop or not top computer, then go to your Profile and click the Settings icon. From here, click on Privacy and Security and select View Account Data.

Step 1: Change your Instagram password

If only your password has been changed, you can restore your Instagram account by resetting the password. On an Android phone or iPhone, go to the login screen and click Forgot Password Forgot Password?

Follow the instructions on the screen by entering your email ID. You will then receive a password reset email. Click on the link and create a new password. Ensure that the new password is strong and not a password you used before.

Step 2: Revoke access to suspicious applications

Sometimes, there may be a malicious application that is why you are having trouble signing in to your account. So after logging into your account on the web, go to the "Profile" section, click on the gear icon and select Approved Applications. You can now see the Authorized Apps list and remove the apps you don’t use or those you don’t remember authorizing.

Step 3: Restore your compromised account

If your Instagram account has been compromised and you have not infiltrated all the identifiers, including your email address and phone number, the account recovery process will be more difficult (and will require a lot of patience). It may sometimes take several weeks to recover a hacked Instagram account.

You will need to act quickly the moment you receive an email notification from Instagram. The email will tell you that your password or email address has changed. You will also find the “Revert this change” link (or reset your password) if your password has not been changed. Click on it to place your order.

Once sent, the Instagram security team will reply to you using an automated process that asks you to verify your identity. You will need to take a photo of yourself holding a sheet showing the handwritten code sent by Instagram in the email. In addition, you will need to select the device that you used to register for the account "iPad, iPhone, Android, etc.".

After this, it will be out of your hands. You will need to wait for the security team to take due care and after authentication, you will receive an email stating that your account has been restored with you as the legitimate owner.

Step 4: Make sure your account is not compromised again

 

Although we cannot guarantee that your Instagram account will not be compromised again, by following these tips, it will be less likely to happen in the future:

Choose a stronger password

Instagram recommends using a password with at least six numbers, letters and punctuation. If you like it, you can upgrade these using apps like Lastpass. Make sure the password is at least 10 characters long, and it contains numbers, special characters, uppercase and lowercase letters. Avoid common passwords like “qwerty.”

Most importantly, make sure your password is not associated with you. This way, it cannot be guessed by searching for any of your publicly available information, such as a zip code or phone number.

Change your password regularly

Needless to say, you should not share your password with anyone. But even if you create a strong password, there are still opportunities to replace a written copy of it. It is also best to change your password every two months.

Turn on two-factor authentication

The best way to make sure your Instagram account is as secure as possible is to use the 2FA two-factor authentication feature. This feature makes sure that only you can access your account. So every time you log in to your Instagram account, a one-time security code will be sent to your phone as a text message. Only after entering this code can you access your account.