Hackers are taking over Instagram accounts and posting pornographic content — Here’s how to properly secure your account!
Social media accounts are always targeted very by malicious actors and scammers. Lately, we have seen quite a few platforms being violated by hackers including Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace. So, it comes as no surprise that hackers have now identified ways to hack user accounts on the popular picture sharing forum Instagram.
Reportedly, hackers are not only hacking Instagram accounts of unsuspecting users but also posting porn on their behalf. This probably is a new strategy adopted by hackers to direct users to adult sites.
Related: Twitter accounts are getting hacked and spreading adult content
Symantec Security discovered this latest hacking campaign, which involves trapping users and forcing them to visit a hacked account on Instagram by promising seductive, objectionable content. As soon as the user visits the profile, he or she is asked to click on a link that redirects him/her to another site that is under the control of attackers.
On that compromised webpage, the user will be instructed to take a survey which when completed will take the user to a site offering instant sex without any dating and nude photos of women. When the user reaches that adult site, an affiliate identification number is displayed. This affiliate link will be required to register on that website in order to view porn and have quick sex.
However, in reality, the scammer will be earning more and more with every new user registration. The hackers hijack the user’s ID and password and immediately edit his/her username, bio, profile link and profile picture apart from posting pornographic content.
Currently, Symantec has no information about how hackers have managed to hack so many accounts on Instagram but the security firm speculates that weak and overused passwords are responsible for this.
Related: 10-year-old Kid Hacks Instagram, Gets $10,000 Reward from Facebook
If you want to protect yourself from landing on hacked Instagram accounts, Symantec has information about what to check out in a hacked account.
Firstly, you must observe the profile picture; if it is a hacked account then the profile picture will be a woman regardless if the profile ID shows the name of a male or female. That’s easy to identify because the hackers have no time to change the name of the owner of the account. So they just let it remain what it is and this is the key to identifying a hacked account.
Another aspect to look for is to check out the owner’s images because hackers never delete the original images/photos of the owner.
But how can you avoid getting your account hacked by these scammers? Well, it is possible because Instagram has already employed two-factor authentication and thus, offers an additional layer of security to its users. This feature is also important to maintaining the security of your account. This feature isn’t available to all Instagram users so if you want to make sure whether you can benefit from it or not then look for this option on the extreme right corner of your profile page. You will find it in the account settings menu.
Related: Instagram Hacked: Security Researcher Gets Admin Panel Access
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