Social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter are a common target for cyber criminals. These accounts contain lots of personal and confidential information and can also be used to scam your friends and family.
Even a strong password can also be hacked by professionals. Or the selection gets the data directly from a company. So hackers only have the data of millions of customers that also read information. But how should you protect yourself to not become the victim of a hacker attack?
Nobody is really safe from hacker attacks on social media accounts. The accounts of Twitter and Facebook have already been cracked. You can tell whether you are affected when you suddenly see postings on your own profile that you have not posted or messages have been sent that you have not written. If you can still log in to your account, you should first change the password. Facebook and Twitter have both set up guides on how to regain control of a hacked account.
How Can I Protect Myself?
If you can no longer log in because the attackers have already changed your email and password, you have to contact the customer support of the respective network. There, the account concerned is checked and can be regained control of its profile, for example via the telephone number or email address that was given during registration.
If possible, two factor authentication should be set up for all services. Then the identity has to be confirmed by a further step, such as an SMS. Attackers can only log into an account if they also have access to the victim’s cell phone. You should also use a separate, secure password for each service.
Attackers often sneak in access data or want to cheer the victims off by creating a printing situation. Therefore, emails that contain strange reminders, files or links should always be handled with care and common sense. If you receive invoices from providers from whom you do not receive any services, it is very likely a phishing.
