4 Ways To Protect Your Social Media Accounts From Hackers

This one hits close to home for me.

I recently had a couple friends tell me that their Instagram business accounts had been hacked which left them locked out!  

Fortunately we’re not powerless to stop hackers and there are things we can do to protect our accounts.  

Here are 4 ways you can protect your social media accounts from being hacked.

1. Use Strong Passwords

Your password is your first line of defense against hackers so make sure it’s a strong one.

To increase your password strength make your password 12 - 16 characters long, mix upper and lowercase letters with numbers, punctuation, and symbols, and don’t use the same password for all of your social media accounts.

2. Change Your Passwords On A Regular Basis

Regularly changing your passwords can stop a hacker if they attempt to log into your account more than once. Also, a shorter length of time with each password gives hackers less time to figure out what it is.

3. Enable 2 Factor Authentication

This feature creates a two step process to gain access to the account. For example, after entering your password you could be required to provide an additional login code sent to you either via text message or email.

4. Don’t Click on Unknown Links

If you get a random DM from an unfamiliar user with an attached link, DO NOT CLICK ON IT.🔥

This is known as phishing and it’s designed to steal your information or infect your device with malware. Also note that hackers can masquerade as legitimate entities like banks and government agencies so don’t click on those links either. Rather, contact those organizations directly if you have questions.

Be careful online!

For more tips and information on cybersecurity visit www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en​