Social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others today are most prevalent, which is why they are ready targets for cybercrime. Hackers are constantly looking for ways to make you the next target to access personal information like passwords, credit card numbers, photos, and other online data. Therefore, to stay protected against these attacks and avoid being a victim of spamming, you must know how to protect your social media accounts.
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This post focuses on this issue and explains ways to protect your social media accounts.
Signs Social Media Account Is Compromised
Before you learn ways to stay protected, it is important to know the signs of the social account being compromised:
1. You get an email saying your login details are changes that you never did.
2. Trouble logging into accounts.
3. The account is filled with advertisements.
4. You are suddenly following people that you don’t know
5. Emails and posts are being sent and shared from your account that you didn’t do
6. An account that uses your name/photos is online
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What should you do now, and how to prevent this from happening?
If you suspect that your social media account is compromised, follow these tips to get back it on its feet.
1. Use an Identity Protection Service
A powerful identity protection service like Advanced Identity Protector helps locate sensitive information saved on the PC and browsers. It even provides an encrypted vault to store confidential information. Once the software is installed on your PC, you can ensure your sensitive data like passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc., are protected, and no one except you can use the details.
The tool scans the PC and all the browsers for stored passwords and other sensitive data that makes you vulnerable. To protect data, it gives three different options:
Move to a Secure Vault – To move and save passwords in a Secure Vault.
Remove Traces Permanently – Clear all passwords from PC.
Add to Exclusion List – To avoid scanning selected details in subsequent scans.
Any of these options can be used to keep social media networks protected. To use Advanced Identity Protector, follow these steps:
1. Download and install Advanced Identity Protector.
2. Launch the tool to protect social media account passwords and click Start Scan Now.
3. Wait for the scanning to complete.
4. Review scanning results and select the passwords you don’t want to be saved on the PC or browser.
5. Click on the ‘Protect Now’ button to secure the selected details. You will find three options, as discussed above.
6. Select the option as per the requirement. To store at a secure location, select the first option – Move to a Secure Vault > create a profile > add the chosen password to Secure Vault.
To proceed, click Yes and follow on-screen instructions. This will move the selected details to an encrypted vault.
However, if you want to get rid of them, click Remove Traces Permanently > Continue.
7. As soon as you click on Yes, the tool will delete all the saved passwords, and you will be able to see a summary.
This is how you can identify saved passwords and remove them to stay secure.
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2. Log in and Check if Anyone Else is also Accessing it
If you have a suspicion that your social media account is hacked, review account details and check if the email address besides yours has access or not. If so, delete it.
Next, if the phone number associated with your account has been changed to an unknown number, remove it—many times, hackers who access the account alter the number to change the password whenever they want.
Read Also: How Does An Antivirus Protect You Against Hackers?
3. Enable 2-factor Authentication & use a Random Password
Hackers quickly get access to your account by using simple and easy-to-guess passwords. Therefore, the first thing to stay safe is to use strong passwords. Alongside we suggest activating 2FA for an additional layer of security. All major social media networks, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, offer it.
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4. Review Account Permission and Restrict Access to External Apps
While you update security settings to stay safe, always double-check account information. If you see unknown sites, apps, or people being given access to your account, remove that because this opens up a potential vulnerability and makes you prone to be hacked.
Below, you can find links to major social sites to see a list of external apps and adjust your settings.
5. Use an Antivirus
Alongside using Advanced Identity Protector to add an extra layer of protection, use an updated antivirus. This will help identify the malware designed to harm your PC and steal data. Try Systweak Antivirus, a security tool for PC, a try. It comes with real-time protection and helps detect malware.
These tips can protect your social media accounts from being hacked. They help create a security gate. You also need to be vigilant and informed. This way, you can stay protected from different threats.
