Seriously, protect your social media accounts before they get hacked
What you need to know
- Security Checkup is a new tool from Instagram to help keep your account secure.
- The app will show the Security Checkup prompt if there is suspicion of an account being hacked.
- Instagram is also enabling two-factor authentication through WhatsApp.
Today, Facebook announced a new Security Checkup feature for Instagram that will walk you through some necessary steps to take if your account has been compromised. Some of the steps include verifying login activity and updating your contact information, such as your phone number or alternate email address.
There seems to be an uptick in the number of compromised accounts, which is just one reason why Instagram finally rolled this feature out. In addition to providing the Security Checkup, Instagram has also detailed a few different steps that you can take to avoid worrying about your account being hacked.
Surprisingly, setting up two-factor authentication is not included in Instagram’s Security Checkup. However, the company “strongly” recommends enabling the feature if you don’t already have it. 2FA can provide an extra layer of defense instead of just relying on just your password to keep your account secure.
To go along with this, Instagram will also roll out the ability to use WhatsApp as one of the security methods when enabling two-factor authentication, in addition to your cell phone number or apps like Google Authenticator. This integration makes total sense, given that Facebook owns both WhatsApp and Instagram. And when the feature becomes available for your account, you’ll be able to either have a code sent to your WhatsApp number.
While it’s great to see Instagram go to these lengths to help keep your account secure, it would be nice to have a prompt appear every once in a while. That way, you could be reminded every three months or so to double-check your account information and update your password using one of the best password managers.
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For years, Instagram has been the de-facto choice when it comes to sharing pictures of what’s going on in your life. But the social media platform has absolutely exploded in popularity, thanks to features like Stories and the editing tools available.
