Twitter accounts of globally important persons have been under attack by hackers. Recently, the Twitter handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was compromised. After that, a tweet supporting Bitcoin was posted from the compromised account. This is not the first time that the account of a key person has been hacked. Earlier in September 2020 also, the Twitter accounts of PM Modi, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates and Elon Musk were hacked in July.
If the social media account of these people could be hacked, then you can think of your account. Even though tech firms make big claims about its safety, but these assurances are nothing more than eyewash.
Now the question arises that how do these accounts get hacked? Why are many security layers like two-step verification, OTP login failed to protect the account?
According to cyber security experts, Hackers take advantage of two mistakes made by social media users.
- Security loopholes
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media platform users use all these digital platforms to connect with people both socially and professionally.
If there is any kind of loophole in the application of social media, then hackers take advantage of these technical loopholes. It is a vulnerability in software, typically in the operating system, that enables an attacker to compromise the system. Although social media companies have a team of good technical professionals, hackers still manage to find technical loopholes.
- Phishing trap
Read more: How Ready Is India To Tackle Cyber Attacks On Critical Infra?
In this, hackers can hack people’s IDs in many ways. It can be understood in such a way that hackers can share phishing links with you by calling or messaging. As soon as you click on this link, you can go to the site which looks like Facebook, Twitter. On this, they will ask to log in. If you log in through this link, then hackers can steal the account ID and password. They simply get the credentials of your account. Sometimes hackers can ask for OTP even in the name of changing the privacy setting.
Modes of hacking:
- Through Phishing Links and Page.
- By hacking database access
- Due to weak password management.
- Hacking with account and email id.
- Hacking with Cookies or Cache.
- Hacking due to OTP.
- Hacking with the help of images.
- Hacking through Public Wi-Fi.
- Hacking by posting personal details.
- Hacking due to lack of security settings.
How can you check any hacking activity?
With the help of a few steps, you can check whether your social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter have been hacked or not. Following these steps you will get the complete details of the login of the device and all the history of the account. Here are some signs of hacking.
- If any of your friends get blocked, unfriended or you have followed or unfollowed anyone without your knowledge.
- If you are seeing posts you haven’t done.
- If you are facing a problem in logging in.
- If you sent message to anyone from your account without your knowledge.
- If your are getting notifications from new game or app.
Safety measures:
To avoid hacking, it is more important for users to be alert. Here are some tips that will ensure the safety of your account.
- Avoid sharing your social media account details with anyone.
- If someone calls on your mobile from unknown number and asks for OTP, then do not give it.
- Watch out for phishing links. Only click on a link that is authentic.
- Create Strong Password and keep updating your password.
- Keep Two-Factor Authentication On
- Delete browser history.
- Create different email-ids.
- Use anti virus program.
- Do not use remember password option.
- Use a unique password for every account.
- Do not use public Wi-Fi.
- Avoid login in a cyber cafe.
Besides, social media firms should also keep their applications regularly tested and audited by IT professionals.
Also read: Mobiles Under Attack: What Is FLUBOT Malware? How Can You Tackle With This?
