How to make your Social Media account hack proof

In the wake of what looks to be the biggest Instagram hack of all time

The most recent social media hack targeted Instagram. Hackers homed in on a bug in Instagram’s API to hack into accounts across the world. Originally, it was thought that the hackers were solely targeting the accounts of A list celebrities. However, on Tuesday it was discovered that the hackers had access to the private information of more than 6 million accounts.

The bug allowed hackers to scrape email addresses and contact information from millions of accounts. A list celebrities, including Selena Gomez, Zac Efron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harry Styles, Floyd Mayweather and David Beckham, were targeted. The hacker responsible then created a searchable database called Doxagram which allowed users to search for victims’ contact information for $10 per search. The hacker provided a list of over 1,000 accounts which included most of the 50 most-followed accounts on instagram.

Selena Gomez was particularly targeted with the hacker seizing her account and posting several naked photos of ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber. Her account was immediately shut down, but has since been restored and is now back up and running. After initially remaining quiet, on Monday Instagram CTO, Mike Krieger, released a statement confirming the scale of the breach and also confirming that the bug had since been fixed.

Getting your social media account hacked can be devastating. Here are some of the best ways to make your account hack proof.

1) Make sure you have a strong unique password.

It’s an obvious one, but probably the most important. Short and simple passwords are a hacker’s dream. Use a mixture of upper and lower case letters along with a variety of symbols to help protect your account. Using a password manager such as 1password to generate foolproof passwords can be hugely beneficial. It is also worth using a password checker to test the strength of your passwords.

2) Make sure your primary email account is secure.

Hackers often target email accounts and use them as a gateway to social media accounts. Again, ensure you have a strong unique password and always opt to use the two step verification process to verify your account.

3) Be prudent when allowing third party apps access to your account

These days, on instillation a lot of apps request access to your social media accounts. Often, the lower quality apps do not have adequate security measures in place. This can allow hackers to gain access to social media account through these third party apps. Only give third parties apps access if absolutely necessary.

4) Block any suspicious followers.

You can spot a ‘dodgy’ account from a mile away. These can be hackers trying to gage whether they want to try and hack into your account. Do not accept them, block them immediately.

5) Avoid clicking on shortened URLs.

If you don’t know or trust the person, avoid clicking on the shortened URL in their bio. A hacker can access your private information using malware hidden behind one of these shortened URLs. To be sure of what you’re clicking on, use a URL checking tool like http://urlchecker.org/.