Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine someone who does not use social media for his personal or official purpose. If social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have become so popular, it is because a lot of people spend a sizeable time on these virtual platforms.
However, the increasing popularity of social media channels have it’s own sets of problems. Of late, we often hear cases where someone’s social media accounts get hacked causing identity theft and monetary losses.
Social Media Channels are the Target of Hackers
While opening your account on a social media platform, you give a lot of information like your mobile number, email ID, and emergency number. Moreover, after you have used a particular channel for some time, you also leave a lot of digital footprints that might give clues to a possible hacker about your financial transactions.
Therefore, it is very important that an average social media user should be aware of the security issues of social media channels, and the measures they must take to remain safe.
How to Prevent Hacking of Your Social Media Accounts?
It’s time, you must use tips from cyber security experts to keep your multiple accounts safe. In the last few years, the use of social media among people has increased many times more. There are many platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, which have millions of users in India.
Although there are hundreds of platforms that people use, but when it comes to popularity, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are in a different league. However, with the increase in the use and popularity of these platforms, the challenges have also increased correspondingly. Now, the challenge before an average user is how to keep their social media profiles safe, and how to protect them from being hacked. This is not an easy challenge because the use of social media is not limited to just uploading pictures and status. These days, social media is also used for generating income in a big way. In fact, there are a lot of people who use social media as a source of income.
According to a leading social media expert and influencer, the importance of protecting social media profiles increases even more in such situations. Social media has provided an excellent platform for talented people to showcase their talent. Now they do not need to go from door to door to display their art. There are those who are busy making short films to entice the audience while some become an inspiration for people on the strength of their style and fitness.
All this has created a lot of activities on social media, and also attracted hackers. We often hear of cases where people become victims of hacking through their social media accounts. It does not matter whether someone is a big celebrity or a sportsperson, or a political leader; everyone is falling prey to hacking.
Hackers usually break inside users’ profiles and upload private and sensitive information in the public domain. They also resort to blackmailing and often threaten people to leak their private details on the internet.
Never Click on a Suspicious Link
The expert says that one should avoid clicking on the doubtful links that often appear harmless. In fact, this is one of the most popular methods of hacking social media accounts because once you click on these dubious links, you virtually become a pawn in the hands of the hacker who can manipulate your sensitive information. Therefore, think 10 times before clicking on the link sent as a part of a message by an unknown profile. And in case of doubt, you should immediately delete it.
Do Not Keep the Same Password for a Long Time
One of the most effective ways to keep your social media accounts safe is to change their passwords as frequently as possible. We usually keep the same password for years without even realising that once it gets compromised, we are literally putting our security at risk. Moreover, while you are selecting the password, try to make it as difficult as possible.
Avoid using the names of your spouse, children, siblings, house number, etc. because these are relatively easier to figure out. There are online tools available that help you to come up with hard-to-crack passwords. Another thing you need to be careful about is, do not repeat passwords for your multiple accounts.
Therefore, if you have a certain password for Facebook, make sure that you do not use the same password for your Instagram and Twitter accounts. By doing this, you are just giving an extra layer of security to your social media accounts. At the same time, you are also making it almost impossible for a possible hacker to guess the password.
Whenever you open a fresh account on a social media platform, you are asked for your mobile number. It is important to note that instead of giving your mobile number for verification purpose, you should use your e-mail so that you can safely restore data from your e-mail even if your mobile gets stolen.
Also, always opt for a two-way authentication of your social media account so that no one can easily open your account. The most important thing you need to consider is that your password is vital and under no condition, it should be exposed to potential hackers.
Once your social media account gets compromised, the consequences could be quite debilitating. It not only involves financial losses but also personal reputation and prestige. There were cases where intimate details of couple were released on the internet that forced people to take extreme steps like suicide. Therefore, a little care can go a long way in giving us peace of mind. These days when hacking has become so commonplace, our need for secure social media apps is greater than ever before.
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