Have Instagram or Facebook been hacked? How to find out and what to do

These days, Facebook and Instagram accounts contain a lot of sensitive information, from baby photos to personal messages, which can be used to steal your identity or hack your bank account. may be used to. And when a major social media outage like Tuesday’s occurs, many people wonder if their information is safe.

It’s always worth checking if you think something went wrong. And it’s that simple.

Check Facebook to see if it’s been hacked

Fortunately, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, maintains all her account information on her one website (accountscenter.facebook.com and accountscenter.instagram.com bring you to the same page).

Click Password & Security, then click Where Are You Logged in.

Meta may already warn you about new logins from unrecognized devices. You can then mark whether it is correct or not. You can also see all other devices that are signed in and force them out if needed.

Check your activity and permissions

If you have a Facebook account, click your account and select Settings & Privacy. From there, select your activity log and the apps and websites you’ve given access to your account.

This is important because even if your Facebook or Instagram account hasn’t been hacked, your partner’s app or her website connected to your account may have been hacked. By checking these lists and monitoring account activity, you can ensure that nothing else is happening to your account.

Please keep your account safe

If you have any doubts, please change your password immediately. (On this Account Center page, select Password & Security, then Change Password.)

Enabling two-factor authentication, which generates a short-term password that is texted to your phone each time you attempt to log in, is also a wise move if you haven’t already. While not ideal, it is beneficial.

Meta has a feature called Password and Security Login Alerts that you can also enable. If someone tries to log in to your account from an unknown device, such as a device you’ve never logged in to, you’ll receive an in-app notification and an email across all your saved accounts.

Do you think you’ve been hacked yet?

There is a prevalent con on Facebook that is mistakenly identified as “hacking” but isn’t. An illegal fraudster establishes an account that appears to be yours or a friend’s, complete with the same profile photo, and then attempts to friend the same individuals who were friends with the original account.

There is no hacking here because the accounts of the people whose data the hackers copied were not actually compromised. The truth is, this scammer is just trying to trick your friends into connecting to a fake account. If your grandma accepts a fake friendship with your name and photo on it, they might be able to convince her to give you the money later, thinking she’s giving it to the real you.

You can report these people as scams relatively easily by clicking on the three dots next to their profile name, selecting the report option, and following the on-screen instructions.