How to protect your Instagram account from being hacked

Ten years ago hardly anyone thought that the popularity of an app for uploading pictures into social feed will get to this point - many people today give more of their attention to their Instagram alter egos than to their own children. At the same time the audience of the service has grown so much that some companies are ready to pay more for one advertising publication posted on Instagram feed than for TV commercials. 

Why Instagram Is Being Hacked 

Social media’s huge popularity increased the value of accounts many times, it means there appeared people wanting to get them dishonestly. Not only passwords from people with promoted accounts are being stolen, that could be used for getting money (spam messages), but also the from the average people via automatic services (account data gets to the base of its analogues and is being used or sold by attackers) or by someone they know. The following tips will tell you more about Instagram data protection. 

Safety in Instagram - What Settings Are Necessary For Instagram Protection 

Many users use their Instagram account not only to communicate with friends. Quite often this social media is being used for commercial purposes: to promote business, to grow the number of followers or to find useful contacts for business. It is not a surprise that most of the users are striving to protect their accounts as reliably as possible. Fortunately, social media provides a good variety of confidentiality settings. 

The last application update was focused on improving the security and confidentiality section. There appeared new settings that make users’ privacy more reliable. 

It has to be done the following: 

• go to your profile;
• click on the “three lines” button at the top;
• go to the Security menu through the Settings section. 

The Main Reliability Aspect Is to Come Up With A Complex Password

The key question for everybody - how to protect Instagram from hacking? The answer is obvious - come up with a complex long password. It is the easy and simple passwords which open the doors for scammers and hackers. 

The rules of complex password for Instagram: 

• more than 8-10 symbols;
• the password should consist of Uppercase and Lowercase letters, and of numbers;
• never use Birthday dates or other significant combinations of numbers;
• if it is difficult for you to come up with a password yourself, use a special manager. 

Setting the Two-factor Authentication for an Instagram Profile 

In order not to be afraid of the notification saying your Instagram was hacked, think about a two-factor authentication procedure which increases the password efficiency and protection for logging into a personal profile. Let us figure out how to prevent your Instagram from being hacked using this way. 

You have to do the following procedures: 

• go to your page;
• go to the Settings through the “three lines” top menu;
• then select a Security and Confidentiality section;
• choose two-factor authentication among the suggested options;
• specify the way of verification - via special app or SMS. 

If you will be confirming logging into account via SMS, you will get a corresponding message with an access code. If you will be doing it via application, then install Google Authenticator that will generate a secret code for logging into a social media account. 

Privacy Settings for Your Instagram Account 

Other than that you can secure not only the profile itself, but also its certain elements. For example, limit the access to photos, videos and stories so that only your friends or certain circle of people could see your content. It is convenient so that no one could write offensive messages, send or share your stories or publications to other users. There is a less number of chances someone will think of hacking an IG account with these settings. 

To do that follow the next steps: 

• go to the Confidentiality section through profile settings;
• install corresponding limits on comments, stories, publications etc. 

Limiting Access for Outsiders 

It is fine not wanting to post your publications and photos on public display, just make your profile closed through Privacy: 

• select a closed account option in Confidentiality settings;
• the access will be allowed only to your followers;
• you can set the opportunity to watch your content only for a certain group of followers if you want to. 

Access Settings for Watching Stories

Application settings give an opportunity to manage stories for hiding them from certain people or for sharing the publication with close ones. You can prohibit reposting your stories and publications if you need. 

Managing Comments 

One of the cons of social medias is that users allow themselves to offend others, for example, send offensive messages or write dirty comments. Do not let negative to spread on your page, make corresponding settings: 

• Confidentiality - Comments;
• set corresponding prohibitions. 

Fighting Spam Messages in Direct 

One more important thing about how to avoid getting hacked on Instagram. In order for you not to get spam, annoying advertising or uninteresting messages from outsiders in Direct, you are able to make receiving of the messages open only for a group of people which includes only your followers who are followed by you too: 

• Confidentiality - Messages;
• select the option “people you follow”. 

Hiding Online Status 

In order to prevent Instagram hacking and changing of your name and mail, one more security option can become hiding your online status. Your followers will not know that you are online while you are secretly logging into your account. So, let us show you how to prevent Instagram hack using this method. 

Do the following actions: 

• Confidentiality - Online Status;
• deactivate this option. 

Limiting Access to Your Status for Certain People 

If you are getting tired of the spammers and advertisers, or managers who want to impose services you do not need, just block them or limit access to your account: 

• select the unwanted profile of third party user;
• select menu by clicking on three dots at the top right of the screen;
• click on the button for blocking or limiting access. 

There is an alternative way - set the mute mode so that you will not see this user’s stories and posts in your feed: 

• Followers;
• turn on the mute mode;
• activate the option for stories or posts, or for both types of content. 

Controlling Push Notifications 

Still wondering how to prevent getting hacked on Instagram? Here is one non-obvious way which can also save your nerves. Instagram sends notifications that are set by a program according to the standard and users do not always like them. Are you getting annoyed by notifications? Then you can turn them off straight away: 

• go to the menu by clicking on three lines in your profile;
• Settings - Notifications;
• turn off those ones in the list you do not need. 

How to Get Your Account Back After Hacking 

Now you know a lot of helpful options and how to protect your Instagram from being hacked, but what to do if the hack did happen? 

Try to react fast. If you still cannot log into your account, change password also from the services linked (email and/or Facebook). After that attach two-factor authentication. 

If you no longer can log into your account, try to reset your password through email, Facebook or phone number. If you successfully logged in, attach two-factor authentication. 

If you did not get notifications from Instagram when resetting your password and cannot log in through Facebook (if it was linked), it means your account was attached to another mail and also unattached from Facebook and a phone number (if they were linked). 

In this case we recommend to send a request to Instagram support: 

• Click “Forgot my password” 
• Open the logging page in mobile Instagram app;
• Enter your nickname, email and a phone number attached to your account.

Instagram can insert to the phone number area the number of the sim-card which is in your phone for that moment - it is not always a number attached to your account. 

By the way, we did not get a magic link through SMS despite the fact that the accounts were attached to phone numbers. 

If you did not get an email to your address or your nickname was changed, repeat the previous step entering your mail. 

If you cannot find your account with your last nickname anymore, try searching messages from Instagram in your mail. Did not get any information about changing your account? Ask someone you know to find out your actual nickname through direct messages history or comments left on your behalf before.

If you successfully logged in, change your password from the account and the services attached (email and/or Facebook). After that, attach two-factor authentication. These are some effective tips for letting you know how to protect Instagram account. 

What to Do With a Nickname After a Hack 

If you succeed in getting the access to your account back, you can change your nickname for any available one. Including the old one if it was changed. 

In some cases, the condition to restore the access established by Instagram may be a change of nickname. In this situation we recommend using a nickname as similar to the previous as possible, for example, add a dot or an underscore. 

If your account was deleted, you can create a new one with the same email address but you probably will not be able to use an old nickname. 

You find out about a lot of ways of how to protect your Instagram from being hacked, now is the time to start using them.