There has been a lot of news over the last few years about people’s Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts getting hacked, and it seems to be an increasingly common occurrence as more people “go social.” It may not be something you’ve seen or experienced yet, so you may not know how to look for the signs.
You may not know for sure if your account was hacked, especially if this is something you haven’t seen or experienced yet, but there are tell-tale signs of a hacked account. Here’s a few indications to keep an eye out for:
Keep in mind that unexpected posts can sometimes happen due to a new app you’ve installed, which you’ve (inadvertently?) given permission to post to your account. These can usually be pretty easy to spot, as the post or tweet usually mentions the app pretty blatantly. If you don’t want this to happen, revoke the app’s permissions or uninstall the spammy app.
You might be wondering how social media accounts get hacked in the first place. There are a variety of ways people can get into your account, including:
Are you using the same username and password on multiple sites and apps? If you use poor password hygiene, it increases the danger of being hacked due to malware or a breach of third-party sites. If just one of those sites gets hacked, it increases the odds of your other accounts being hacked as well.
If you see that your account was hacked, there are a few things you’ll need to do:
If you have been hacked, take heart knowing you aren’t alone. A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 21 percent of people have had their social media or email accounts hacked. The real numbers may be significantly higher, as many people don’t know to look for symptoms of hacking. By taking a few security precautions, you can significantly decrease the odds of it happening again, especially as sites themselves become more savvy about protecting their users.
