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HOW HACKERS HACK SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND HOW TO PREVENT IT!

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Odunmbaku Eniola
@code-redex
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In the 21st century , the internet has never been more easy to access , a lot of people all over the world uses the internet for plethora of reasons which could be entertainment , communication , reading , blogging , researching and so much more .

Social media are online platforms used for social networking , business , connectivity e.t.c and it occupies very large user base of internet users . Today , an awful lot of social media accounts gets hacked daily by cyber hackers for reasons profitable to them , many at times , they steal user information , accounts and use it for malicious activities . I write this post to educate you on various ways they get access into social media accounts and simple steps you can carry so as to not fall victim to these hackers .

WAYS HACKERS HACK SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

There are a lot of ways social media accounts get hacked which are :

1. PHISHING

Phishing is a cybercrime whereby hackers impersonate notable organizations or institutions contacting various people(targets) either by text , email or telephone and persuading them to provide sensitive information which could be banking details , passwords and pins , personal data e.t.c

There are different types of phishing attacks which are :

  • Phishing email : This emails are designed to appear like they were sent from a notable source . Like whatsapp , facebook , twitter . They may entice you to send sensitive information or click on a link that directs you to a fake website .

  • link manipulation : They send links to you through email , text or other various means to direct you to fake versions of popular websites for example , instagram or twitter . Then , they may request for you to update account information so they can steal your login information .

  • Spear Phishing : This is an email which relies on information that as been previously collected from the target . Usually containing languages that will urge the target to act fast .

  • Malware : They install malware into users computer which could be done by luring you to click on links or email attachments . This malware are always disguised as pdf , images , videos e.t.c Example of this malware is the key logger , it sends every key being typed on the computer to the hacker . In short , they use it to collect users personal information .

  • Voice phishing(vishing) : This occurs when a caller sends a voice note claiming to be a notable organisation luring the target to urgently send personal or sensitive information .

2. BRUTE FORCE

Brute force is commonly used by hackers to hack social media accounts . It is the guessing of a large list of usernames and password on the social media account of the target by an automated machine .

3. DATA BREACHING

A data breach is the accidental or involuntary release or leak of confidential information into a distrustful environment , it is an error made by the company .

4. SOFTWARE BUGS AND VULNERABILITIES

This is not so common , but hackers sometimes use bugs and loop holes in software to hack into social media account .

HOW TO PREVENT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT FROM BEING HACKED

Below are various simple tips and steps users can try to prevent their accounts from being hacked which are :

  1. Enable the two factor authentication in any social media account you can.
  2. Update the software of your computer regularly.
  3. Be careful with sharing personal information with others.
  4. Be careful of how much personal information you post online.
  5. Don't use the same password on all social media accounts.
  6. Change social media accounts password regularly.
  7. Ensure to always use a strong password with alphanumeric an symbolic values.
  8. Delete the social media accounts you have stopped using.
  9. Delete any suspicious software on your computer or smartphone
  10. Only click links with the https(hypertext transfer protocol secured) and don't click links with just http . Doing this will prevent your information from being accessed while browsing through the web .

HOPE THIS HELPS! ๐Ÿ™‚

Feel free to comment what else we can do to protect our social media accounts ? Don't forget to like and give me an upvote , BYEE!