How to avoid getting Hacked on social media In 2024

Social media has become the new normal, allowing people to connect with friends, family, and others from all across the globe, get updated on the latest news, and use it for entertainment purposes and to promote their businesses and whatnot. But even though social media does offer a lot of benefits to users, it also comes with a lot of downsides, especially in a digital era that is rampant with cybercriminals; your social media accounts may get hacked if you don’t take the adequate steps to protect them from malicious actors. Since social media contains much of your personal information, your privacy and confidentiality are compromised.

This is no surprise because, in 2021 alone, it was reported that 1 in 2 American users had their accounts breached. Phishing attacks on social media have also been reported to have increased by 61% since 2019, and as you can imagine, it’s only getting worse from here. Cybercriminals are growing more competent by the minute when it comes to hacking your accounts, and by the time you realize what’s happened, the damage is done.

However, you can sit back and relax because, in this detailed guide, we will explore how you can easily protect your social media accounts and prevent them from getting hacked. Once you implement the right security strategies, no malicious actors can intercept your accounts easily.

What Are Some Of The Most Common Threats On Social Media?

Here are some of the most common threats plaguing social media today that you need to be aware of to protect yourself:

1) Phishing Attacks

These deceptive attempts trick and coerce you into revealing sensitive and confidential information. Phishing attacks on social media increased by 61% in social media as of 2019. They will pretend to be someone you trust or a person of a higher authority and trick you into revealing your personal information, which they ultimately use to steal your financial information and hack into your accounts. They may encourage you to click on a specific link, and once you’ve done that, they’ve successfully infiltrated your online accounts.

2) Malware

Malware is spread on your device through suspicious links or attachments or by downloading third-party software from unverified sources. Once malicious actors trick you into clicking these suspicious links, they infiltrate your device and compromise sensitive and confidential data. They share these links on social media platforms, and once you click on them, they compromise your device, steal your device, and cause damage to your system.

3) Identity Theft

Cybercriminals often impersonate specific individuals, organizations’ heads, and their customers or employees to trick you into divulging sensitive and confidential information. These impersonators pretend to be influencers, celebrities, another person, or someone you trust by creating fake accounts that look so real and legitimate that one can easily be fooled.

4) Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering attacks are manipulative strategies that trick vulnerable individuals into divulging sensitive information. Once they have all the information they need, they hack into your online accounts and compromise your data, leading to data breaches and identity theft. Identifying these tactics early on is essential so your sensitive data isn’t compromised.

How Can I Tell My Social Media Account Got Hacked?

Social media hacking has taken such a dark turn that 40 US States called Meta to take action against all the Facebook and Instagram accounts that were getting hijacked. Hackers and malicious actors sneakily pave their way into your accounts, not making it noticeable at first. They want to maintain the illusion that you control your social media accounts.

However, when all of your defenses are down, they strike and steal all of your data and compromise all your accounts. To prevent this, you must always remain cautious and look for these telltale signs that your account has been hacked. This will allow you to take timely action to prevent any significant loss. Here are some of the signs:

• You’ve received emails that you want to change your username, email password, or any other account settings when you haven’t.
• You are facing issues logging into your online accounts.
• You’re seeing posts on your accounts that you never made.
• You’ve noticed messages from your accounts and never recall sending them.
• You are following and sending friend requests to people you’re unfamiliar with.
• You’ve spotted accounts that are pretending to be you and catfishing others.
• Your account is being logged in from different locations and devices.
• You’re unable to login to your account because your password has been changed.
• New applications or third-party services can access your accounts without your permission.
• There is new activity on your social media accounts when you’re not online.
• You receive password reset emails when you never requested to change your passwords.

If you notice these signs, you must immediately implement strong passwords for all your online accounts and enable Two-Factor Authentication, among other things. We’ll discuss this in detail in the next section.

How to avoid getting Hacked on social media with 8 Key Strategies

Now that you’re aware of the dangers of your social media accounts being hacked and how much it compromises your privacy and security, you must actively take steps to ensure that all your accounts aren’t compromised. According to a report by Statista, 37% of people had gotten their social media accounts hacked.

Of these people, 77% had their Facebook accounts hacked, 35% experienced their Instagram accounts getting hacked, and 25% people experienced their TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter (now X) hacks. Here are some of the most effective strategies to protect your social media accounts from hacking and interception:

1) Implement Strong Passwords

Weak passwords are some of the easiest ways for hackers to infiltrate your online accounts, and using passwords that are easy to guess. When choosing a password, ensure it has an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, special characters, and numbers. You should also ensure you have different passwords for each social media account. Passwords that aren’t strong and unique can be leaked in data breaches, and these passwords can be reused to hack and intercept your social media accounts.

2) Enable Two Factor Authentication

You should enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all your online accounts. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by ensuring you cannot access your accounts without providing additional information. You will need to verify before accessing your social media. This can be done in the form of an OTP (one-time password) sent to your email or phone number, or it can also be done through biometric verification. Two Two-factor authentication ensures that malicious actors cannot gain access unauthorized access to your social media accounts quickly.

3) Use AstrillVPN When Using A Public Network

AstrillVPN encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address, ensuring that hackers, malicious actors, and other third parties cannot gain unauthorized access to your social media accounts. Be sure not to use your social media accounts when you’re on a public network, as public networks are the most vulnerable to interception by hackers. And even if you are using a public network, you need to turn on AstrillVPN’s connection so that your online activities remain secure when you’re using a public network.

In addition to this, AstrillVPN offers other security features to ensure that your online presence remains safe and protected. It offers a Kill Switch, Smart Mode, robust encryption protocols like Wireguard, StealthVPN, and OpenVPN, and AES 256 encryption, the industry standard. It also offers DNS leak protection and adheres to a strict No Logs Policy, which means it does not record or store any of your data and online activities when you’re using the VPN. All your sessions and data will automatically get deleted when you log out of the VPN provider.

4) Invest In Reliable Antivirus Software

Investing in reliable antivirus software is also essential to protect yourself from hackers, who can spread malicious software to your device and compromise your data. The antivirus software will detect and remove suspicious links or phishing scams from your device. When looking to invest in a reliable antivirus software, keep these things in mind:

• It scans your device in real-time for any emerging threats and then immediately removes them from your device.
• It should not impact your system’s performance and slow down your device.
• The software should be intuitive and user-friendly, especially for users who aren’t that tech-savvy.
• The antivirus software should receive regular updates to keep itself evolving with all the new and latest threats.
• It should have additional features like a built-in firewall for protection and security.
• The antivirus software should be compatible with multiple operating systems, including iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• It should offer protection across different types of devices if you have multiple devices.
• Review the software’s privacy policies to understand the type of data collected and used.

5) Be Cautious When Clicking Links & Downloading Attachments

Be cautious when using social media and clicking on certain links and ads. These ads may look appealing with catchy write-ups and engaging content to get you clicking on their link and buying their product, but more often than not, it’s just a hacker trying to gain unauthorized access to your online accounts. Also, be very careful when you receive these links or attachments through email.

Although they may look harmless initially, these links contain Malware, viruses, and phishing attacks, all of which aim to steal and use your data for fraud. If the links redirect you to a suspicious-looking page, you need to remove yourself from that page immediately before your sensitive and confidential data gets compromised. If you click on an unreliable link, run it through a link-safety checking site to enhance your security.

6) Verify Your Friend Requests & Messages

If you’re accepting requests or getting messages from your friends or people you know, be cautious and think again. Sometimes, these malicious actors and hackers pretend to be your friends to gain your trust and then infiltrate your online accounts. They may send you sketchy links, and because you trust them, you click on them, and before you know it, the damage has been done. Verify that the requests and direct messages you’re receiving are legitimate. These social engineering tactics are used to gain your trust and then hack your accounts.

7) Keep Software Updated

An essential part of software updates is patching out any security issues. You should also ensure that all your social media accounts and devices are constantly updated to the latest versions and enable automatic updates to receive the latest security patches and improvements.

8) Review Your Privacy Settings

You need to check your social media’s default privacy settings, as they are not suitable enough to prevent hacking attempts. It would be highly beneficial for you to review your privacy settings and ensure that all your data is safe and protected; 45% of users aren’t even aware of their social media platform’s privacy settings. So, a closer inspection can prevent their accounts from being intercepted.

What Should I Do If My Social Media Gets Hacked?

If you weren’t able to catch anything early on and find that your social media has sadly gotten hacked, here are some steps that you need to take immediately:

• Change the password to all of your social media accounts. Hackers can’t access your social media accounts if they don’t have access to your password.
• Contact the social media platform, as they may have security protocols that can help mitigate the risks of a hacking attempt or prevent the hacker from ultimately gaining access to your account.
• Constantly monitor your social media accounts for any suspicious links. Hackers often use your accounts to send spammy links to your friends, family, and people you trust. If you catch a whiff of suspicious activity, implement security strategies to secure your data.

Final Thoughts

Social media hacking is the perfect breeding ground for hackers and malicious actors to steal and compromise your sensitive and confidential information. However, by identifying the signs of hacking early and implementing the security strategies mentioned in this guide, you will never have to worry about your social media accounts getting hacked again.