Techniques to steal an Instagram account
Before explaining to you what are the tips that you can put into practice on your Instagram account in order to protect it from possible attacks, let's see together which are the most used techniques for steal an Instagram account. I'm sure that once you understand the mechanism, you will know how to defend yourself.
Social engineering
Among the techniques that can be put into practice to be able to steal an Instagram account, there is theSOCIAL ENGINEERING. This is a method that allows any attacker to access the victim's device, so as to steal the information they need.
A practical example of social engineering is when the attacker, with a trivial but credible excuse, approaches the victim and borrows his smartphone. By doing so, he gets free access to any information contained on the device, including the victim's Instagram profile.
Once in possession of the victim's smartphone, the cybercriminal on duty could not only access all of the victim's accounts, but could also install a spy software to obtain future access to the victim's data (including the Instagram account) without the knowledge of the victim.
In this case, the advice I can give you is not to leave your smartphone, tablet or computer unattended and unsupervised, taking care to also set a access lock code, so that no one can take advantage of your absence to interact with it. In this regard, I suggest you read my guides on how to lock an Android phone, how to lock iPhone screen and how to put the password on the PC.
Phishing
Another technique that can be put into practice to steal an Instagram account is the one called Phishing. It is a technique in which the attacker sends a 'e-mail or SMS to the victim, containing a password reset request for security reasons. In this case, the victim, continuing to browse through the link contained in the message, will find himself on a page similar to the official one.
The victim could therefore be deceived by entering the access data of their account (in this specific case, the Instagram account), which will thus be collected by the attacker. To protect yourself from this kind of attack is enough ignore emails and SMS that require a password change for a service, unless this request has been made in person through the standard procedures provided by the service itself.
Keylogger and spy app
Another threat that can sneak up on smartphones and other devices is that of keylogger. If you have never heard of them, these are tools that allow malicious people to steal all the information that is typed on the keyboard of a device, without the knowledge of its user.
This threat can be prevented by using a antimalware and always keeping it updated. In this regard, I can advise you to read some of my guides on the subject: how to eliminate keyloggers, how to eliminate viruses from your mobile phone and how to understand if your PC is spied on.
As for smartphones and tablets, there are spy-app specifications that work in the background, therefore secretly, and are often invisible even in the settings menus. Apps of this kind can be installed in different ways: through social engineering or by downloading modified apps from unofficial stores.
If you have any suspicions of being spied on, you can check that no such apps have been installed on your smartphone / tablet by following the instructions you find in my tutorial on how to delete spy software from your mobile.
Attacks on browser databases
Another technique that causes access to a user's login information is that of targeting the browser database. In fact, password managers integrated in browsers are often used to store information about accessing websites and this is not always a good idea.
Performing an attack on browser databases involves unrestricted access to malicious people who would thus obtain all the access data to the Web sites to which the user is registered.
It should be noted that the browser databases are encrypted by a password, which is usually required if you want to see the saved login data "in clear". However, this does not mean that they could still be targeted, if there are vulnerabilities.
In this case, it might be useful to use an external password manager, generally more difficult to attack than the one included in browsers: I told you about it in detail in my guide on how to manage passwords.
How not to get stolen from Instagram accounts
In addition to the tips I gave you in the previous chapters, you can put into practice other tricks to prevent your Instagram account from being stolen: here they are in detail.
Use a secure password
First, remember that using a secure password it is the best way to prevent this from being easily guessed by an attacker or found by tools that perform brute force attempts.
Generally speaking, one long password, consisting of lowercase and uppercase letters, USEFULL e symbols, is the best way to secure an account. Also, use password managers to keep it safe and, if you can, change it frequently.
If you believe that the password of your Instagram account (and not only) does not reflect these characteristics, first of all I recommend that you create a secure one, as I have explained to you in this guide of mine. Subsequently, proceed to change the password, following the instructions I indicated in this tutorial dedicated to the topic.
Check the logins
On Instagram it is possible check the accesses made on your account. This feature allows you to see if any attacker is in possession of your login data and block it.
To take advantage of this tool from the Instagram app for smartphones and tablets, tap onyour profile icon and then presses the icon ☰ at the top. Now, tap on the items Settings> Security> Login Activity And that's it.
From a PC, on the other hand, connected to the Instagram site, click onyour profile icon and, in the box that is shown to you, click on the items Settings> Login Activity, to see the list of all the accesses made on your Instagram account.
If you notice a login made from a place you've never been, probably, unless some information is accurate, someone is in possession of your Instagram login details. Therefore, immediately change the password of your account and activate thetwo-factor authentication, which I will tell you about in the next chapter.
Enable two-factor authentication
If you want to make your Instagram account safe, the best solution, in addition to those listed so far, is to apply thetwo-factor authentication. This is a feature that will require you to enter an additional code when logging into the Instagram account from a new device or browser.
This code can be sent via SMS to the number associated with your Instagram account or automatically generated through a supported authentication app (safer choice, therefore recommended), such as Google Authenticator (available for Android and iOS / iPadOS).
To activate two-factor authentication, you need to log into your account via the Instagram app and press theyour profile icon. At this point, press the ☰ icon and select the items Settings> Security> Two-Factor Authentication.
To proceed from the PC, on the other hand, connected to the official Instagram site, press onyour profile icon and, in the box that appears, select the items Settings> Privacy and security> Change two-factor authentication settings.
At this point, choose whether to enable this feature via SMS, indicating the code that will be sent to you via text message, or via authentication app (recommended), following the instructions on the screen. In case you want to know more about the procedures to follow, my advice is to read the tips I gave you in my guide on how not to get hacked on Instagram.
Do not connect to public Wi-Fi networks
One danger that you can run into without realizing it is to connect to public Wi-Fi networks, which criminals can often access and capture the data circulating there.
You must know, in fact, that through the technique of sniffing, it is possible to intercept data entering and leaving a network, which may contain sensitive data.
To that end, I can advise you to protect yourself by using a VPN, such as NordVPN or SurfShark, which protect browsing even on public Wi-Fi networks by encrypting all data and also allowing you to bypass censorship and regional restrictions. For more details, read my guides on NordVPN and SurfShark.
How to recover stolen Instagram account
Unfortunately, before you could read all the information I gave you in this guide, were you a victim of the theft of your Instagram account? In this case, you don't have to lose heart!
What you need to do is carefully consult all the tips and procedures that I have given you in my guide on how to recover an Instagram account, where you will find useful tips that will help you take possession of your Instagram profile again through the official support of the social network. I cross my fingers for you!
How to steal an Instagram account
