Security Checkup will guide people, whose accounts may have been hacked, through the steps needed to secure them.
Instagram has announced a new feature – Security Checkup, for people to keep their account safe. To recover users hacked accounts, Instagram has included a number of steps such as checking login activity, reviewing profile information, confirming the accounts that share login information and and updating account recoveries contact information such as phone number or email.
To guide users whose accounts may have been hacked, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app has also launched Security Checkup.
To provide an extra layer of protection, Instagram had urged users to enable two-factor authentication. Instagram will also let people use their WhatsApp numbers to protect their accounts in selected countries. The app will share code on your WhatsApp number to integrate the social media accounts.
Instagram has also urged its users to update their phone numbers and email. In a blog post, the company said, “Make sure that the email and phone numbers associated with your device are up to date. That way if something happens to your account, we can reach you. These steps let you recover your account even if your info has been changed by a hacker.”
Recently, many users reported that they received links on their DMs from accounts pretending to be Instagram. It was reported that when users clicked on the link thinking it might be from Instagram, they lost access to their account and their personal data was compromised. Instagram through a blogpost has clarified that it will never send DMs to its users.
“They may tell you that your account is at risk of being banned, that you are violating our policies around intellectual property, or that your photos are being shared elsewhere. These messages are often scams and violate our policies. Instagram will never send you a DM. When we discover these kinds of scams, we take action against them,” said Instagram.
The company said that it wants its users to block and report such accounts. The only way Instagram will ever reach its users is through emails. It will never send you a direct message about anything related to your account.
Along with the Security Checkup, Instagram has also urged users to enable login requests as enabling that would let users know if someone is trying to access their account. The alerts will tell you about the location and the name of the device that may have tried to log in to your accounts. If you do not recognize a recent login, you can log out of that location or device and let Instagram know that the login wasn’t you.