How to find out who hacked my instagram
[2021] How to Find out Who Hacked Your Instagram?
Before We Start
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms among youth adults, celebrities, and brands. Due to its growing popularity, Instagram has become an easy target for hackers.
We often come across news about Instagram accounts of celebrities and brands getting hacked. If an Instagram user is not serious about his account's security, the account can get hacked easily in few minutes by hackers.
In this article, we will explain how to find out who is trying to hack your Instagram account, how to prevent such hacking, and what to do when your Instagram account is hacked.
- 1. 3 Ways to Find Out Who Hacked Your Instagram
- 2. 4 Aspects to Prevent Your Instagram from Being Hacked
- 3. Tips: How to Recover a Hacked Instagram Account
1. How to Find Out Who Hacked My Instagram
If you notice unusual activities on your Instagram account, the chances are high that your account is already hacked. Here are the steps to take when your Instagram account is hacked to find out who hacked it.
Way 1: Detect with Anti-Spy Software
A hacker gets hold of the login credentials of their victim's Instagram account using spyware. Spyware is planted in the victim's phone by various means, and it records the login credentials when the victim logs into his Instagram account. ClevGuard Anti-Spyware is a trusted spyware detecting app you can use to scan and detect spyware present in your phone.
Step 1. Click "Get it on Google Play" button as below to install ClevGuard Anti-Spyware.
Step 2. After installing the app, check the Privacy Policy and tap on "start" to get started.
Step 3. Tap on "Scan" option icon to start a detailed scanning on your phone. After the scanning is complete, you will see the list of spyware apps present along with their names. You can also report the applications to ClevGuard if you consider the app on your phone is spyware.
Related Read: How to Know If Someone Blocked You on Instagram?
Way 2: Report Your Instagram Account
As soon as you detect your Instagram account is hacked, you should report your Instagram account to find out who hacked your account.
Step 1. Go to Instagram Help Center and click on "Privacy, Safety, and Security".
Step 2. Click on Login and Password and go to Login on.
Step 3. Click on I Can't Log In and go to "I think my Instagram account has been hacked". Here you will find all the possible scenarios and steps you need to take to recover your account depending on your situation.
Once you have recovered your account, you should reach out to the support team and request them to give you the last few login details. The login details should include IP address, login data, time, and device used. You can easily identify the IP address of the hacker as it will be different from yours. By tracing the IP address online, you can identify the location of the hacker.
Way 3: Help by Police
The best way to find who hacked your Instagram account is by taking the help of the nearby police station. This is because they have the necessary resources and permissions to extract the details from Instagram that you will never get from the support team.
Step 1. You have to lodge a complaint regarding your hacked Instagram account with all possible details.
Step 2. The police station may hand over the case to the cybersecurity department. The cybersecurity department will start an investigation to find whether your complaint is genuine and take the necessary steps.
Step 3. The concerned officials will contact the Instagram team to extract the details of activities on your account and get the login details of the hacker.
Step 4. If the IP address is real, it will be easy for them to locate the hacker. However, if the hacker is using VPN, it will be difficult to trace him. However, most of the time, the hacker is found to be among the followers of the hacked account.
Therefore, the concerned officials can do further investigation on suspicious followers of your account to unveil him, if possible.
2. How to Prevent Your Instagram from Being Hacked?
Now that you know how to find out who hacked your Instagram account, let's move to the preventive measures. Prevention is always better than suffering and running after the cure. In fact, if you take all the preventive steps beforehand, it becomes very difficult for the hacker to get access to your Instagram account.
Activate Two-Factor Authentication
In two-factor authentication, a user needs to enter the credentials as well as a code that is sent to the link phone number to login.
Therefore, if the hacker somehow manages to get your login credentials, he will not be able to login. This is because he will not get the code sent to your phone number.
Check Your Account's Login Activity
You can check the login activity of your account under the Security section on the app.
You will see all the devices that your account is logged in currently.
Not just that, you will see the geographical locations of the devices. If you suspect anything unusual, you can log yourself out of all the devices. Besides, you should revoke access permission to any suspicious third-party app.
Review The Emails From Instagram
Instagram keeps alerting the users through emails when they detect any unusual activity on any account. If someone tries to reset password, logs into your account from a new device or new location, changes password, and even changes the email address associated, you will get immediate email notification on your linked email address.
In fact, you can revert the changes through email if you can attend to them immediately.
Install ClevGuard Anti-Spyware
Spyware in your phone can record your account's credentials when you enter them and transfer them to the hacker. ClevGuard Anti-Spy app has a special feature to prevent any spyware deployment by hackers.
The feature is called 'Real-Time Protection' through which your phone will be completely secured 24/7. You will get notifications as soon as the spyware detection app detects any spyware trying to get downloaded and installed.
3. Tips: How to Recover a Hacked Instagram Account
If you are wondering how to recover if your Instagram is hacked, well, here is the answer. If you have not changed your password and yet you cannot login with your password, your account is hacked.
For confirmation, you can check your email where you must find a notification of password changed.
The following is the list of steps you should take to recover your Instagram account after it is hacked.
Step 1: Check Your Email Account
When the hacker has changed your password, Instagram must be immediately notified you about the change through your email. Therefore, check your email account and find the email notification.
In the body of the email, you will find the option 'Revert This Change'.
Click on it and follow the on-screen instructions to see if you can recover your account.
Step 2: Get A Log in Link
If the revert to changes is not possible, do the following.
1. Go to the login screen.
2. Tap on 'Forgot Password?' option.
3. In the next 'Find Your Account' screen, enter username or email address or phone number connected to your account. Tap on Next button.
4. You will be asked to select your email address or phone number for sending the login link.
You will get a login link to your email address or phone number. By clicking the link, you can reset your password and log into your account.
Step 3: Request A Security Code
If the login link is not working for you, you have to request a security code.
1. Tap on 'I can't access this email or phone number' option.
2. You will get a Request Support form where you have to enter various details about your account. Here you can enter a new email address where a security code will be sent.
3. Once submitted, you will get a security code on your new email address.
For verification:
You have to take a selfie holding the security code handwritten on a piece of paper. You may also have to provide the support team with email address, phone number, and even the device you used to sign up for the account.
Conclusion
The hackers' community is quite active on the Instagram platform. Therefore, it is important for Instagram users to take all the preventive measures we have mentioned. Install a spyware detection app like ClevGuard for real-time protection. We have clearly mentioned what to do if your Instagram account is hacked in order to recover it successfully before further damage.
Instagram Hacked? Here’s How to Recover Your Account
Instagram is crucial for designers, serving as a marketing and networking tool that’s key to landing new clients. So what should you do if you’ve had your Instagram hacked? First, don’t panic—you’re not alone.
“I’d say it’s common for the average user to get hacked to some degree in their life,” says Matthew Krull, a social media strategist at design-focused communications agency Novità. “I hear more often than not from my friends and colleagues that they’ve experienced some suspicious activity on their account.” But if you’ve had your Instagram account hacked, it’s important to recover it as quickly as possible. Here are the steps for how to get your Instagram account back, as well as measures you can take to bolster your cybersecurity.
Can you get your Instagram back if it’s been hacked?
The short answer: It depends.
If you’ve had your Instagram hacked, it is possible to get it back, but you need to move fast, so that the hacker can’t compromise your account further. If you act quickly, you might be able to kick out the hacker while they’re in your account and before they’ve changed your info, deleted your photos, or posted to your profile. That way you can save yourself the trouble of having to recover your Instagram account through a Meta support request.
But if the hacker has already gone beyond logging in and potentially changing your password, Instagram account recovery becomes a lot more difficult. Depending on how much damage they’ve done, Instagram may be able to help you recover your account. But brace yourself: If your account has been deleted by a hacker, there might be nothing the Instagram support team can do to recover your account.
How do I get my Instagram account back?
There are two different levels of hacking: One that only changes your password, and another that changes your password and contact info. Here’s how to report a hacked Instagram account, and how to recover your Instagram account as soon as possible.
What to do if a hacker has changed your Instagram password
If you’ve found that your password no longer works, simply follow the steps for setting a new one, as prompted by the login page on the Instagram app. Hopefully, the login link will be sent to your email account or phone number, and you can use a security code to log back in to your account and change your password.
This would be the best case scenario, as you can solve the problem yourself without having to contact Instagram. (That said, it’s not a bad idea to contact Instagram customer service anyway and let them know that your Instagram account has been hacked—the company may point out some helpful security tips to keep your account safe in the future.)
You’ve had your Instagram hacked, and the hacker changed your password and contact information. Now what?
Hitting a brick wall at the login screen? Yikes. If you’re locked out of your social media account, and you don’t receive a password reset link when you request one via the Forgot password button, a hacker may have changed your email and phone number. This is a more common type of hacking, as scammers know you will try to reset your password yourself, and they will want to keep control of the account for themselves. They may even hold your Instagram account for ransom, and request bitcoin or other plunder for you to get it back.
If that’s the case, you’ll need to report the activity to Instagram by following the instructions here. They will ask you to verify your identity—you might even have to take a video selfie to prove you are who you say you are. This process likely won’t give you immediate access; it could take days or even weeks to recover your Instagram account.
Can you recover your Instagram account if it has been deleted?
In some cases, hackers might delete all your posts, or they might delete your account entirely. If they’ve deleted some but not all of your account, you might be able to retrieve posts by going into the Your Activity section of your Instagram account and selecting Recently deleted. There, you’ll find posts from the last 30 days as well as stories from the last 24 hours. You can then restore those images or videos.
But if your account has been totally deleted, you might be out of luck. Instagram itself says, “When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers will be permanently removed.
” You can create a new account with the same email address you used before, but you may not be able to get the same username.
That said, there is a window in which you can recover your Instagram account. “If someone has deleted your account, you technically have 30 days to contact Instagram to explain that you have been hacked and [ask them] to put your account back up. Instagram claims it stores your data for that long,” says digital marketer Jonathan Simon, director of marketing and communications at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. “However, this is a long shot. Once your account is deleted, it is likely gone.”
Interior designer Kristen McGinnis, for instance, was not one of the lucky ones. Back in 2020, she found that she was logged out of her Instagram account due to suspicious activity—even though her two-factor authentication was enabled. “Instagram’s account retrieval process includes going through identity confirmation. I submitted this well over a dozen times within a month and received zero response,” McGinnis says.
“Sadly, I never received any help, only headache and heartache.”
After a month, McGinnis gave up. She started a new Instagram account and used her inaugural post to explain what had happened to her former handle. She then started the arduous process of re-following her former connections, hoping they’d follow her back. Although many of them did, she needed to message others to reintroduce herself. The small silver lining was that her photos were auto-saved to her phone. Still, the mishap had a cost. “I lost a few thousand followers, many of whom I will never get back because I don’t know who to reach out to,” McGinnis says.
Even though no method of account protection is completely fail-safe, staying on top of security best practices can hopefully prevent you from having to rebuild your following. You can also download your data periodically in order to keep a record of your posts, your followers, and even your comments—that way, if you have your Instagram hacked and eventually need to rebuild your account, you have a head start.
What should you do if you’re locked out of your Instagram account?
For starters, remain calm. Sometimes getting locked out—especially for business accounts—is simply due to an oversight. “For instance, let’s say a social media manager moves on from the company,” says New York– and London-based digital content consultant Charlene C. Lam. “If a transition plan isn’t in place, it may be a while before the remaining team members realize they don’t know the Instagram password.”
To mitigate that risk, keep your Instagram account recovery codes stored in a secure place. These recovery codes will be used to reset two-factor authentication, which will help you get your Instagram account back. They can be found on the Security page of the Instagram app.
Unfortunately, there may be an instance where you’ve been locked out because you were genuinely been hacked by a scammer.
What should you do if you suspect someone is trying to hack your Instagram?
There are a few red flags that may indicate that someone may be trying to hack your Instagram account (or already has).
Three big ones: receiving a changed-password email from Instagram that you didn’t trigger yourself, receiving an unprompted email-change request from [email protected], and seeing posts you didn’t make. Here’s how to get help.
What to do if Instagram noticed suspicious activity on your account
If someone attempts to reset your password, Instagram will send you an email informing you of the change. “I take immediate action as soon as I get a notification or email from Instagram letting me know there was suspicious activity on any of the accounts I manage,” Matthew Krull says.
If you receive an email that someone has requested to change your password, and it wasn’t you, someone may be trying to hack your Instagram account. Report the situation to Instagram via the link in that email, then immediately change your password.
If you received an email from [email protected] asking about changing the email address associated with your Instagram account, but didn’t make that request yourself, click the link in the message that says Secure My Account.
If you are unable to get through the login page, the scammer may have changed your password. Don’t lose hope yet—you can still get help by requesting a login link or a security code.
But remain attentive when it comes to these Instagram emails: Some messages that appear to be from Instagram could be phishing attempts or scams from hackers. The good news is that Meta has developed a function to help protect you. If you enter the security section of the Instagram app, you can see what emails Instagram has sent you within the last two weeks. Reviewing that data should help you verify an email’s authenticity.
Keep in mind that other messages, like Instagram DMs and WhatsApp chats, can also contain phishing scams. Stay alert!
What to do if you noticed suspicious activity on your account
If you notice photos or stories you didn’t post yourself appearing on your page, but you’re still logged in, you’ve probably been hacked on Instagram. You should change your password immediately, as doing so will kick the hacker out of your account.
You should also manually log out of any suspicious devices via your login activity page, as well as revoke access from any third-party apps that might have had a security breach and exposed your login information.
How to protect your Instagram account
Hacking isn’t limited to high-profile Instagrammers. “Any account can be a target, because if the hackers are successful, they can use the hacked account to try to get important information like credit card numbers, addresses, and PINs from other unsuspecting users,” Jonathan Simon says.
A strong password is an obvious place to start—and yes, those strings of letters and numbers suggested by Apple’s iOS are pretty safe. (If you’re concerned about remembering all of your logins, a digital password manager can help.) Still, there are a few additional steps you should take to thwart a potential hacking.
Turn on two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication requires users to enter a security code from an authentication app or your cell phone via text message (SMS) every time they log in to a new device—and it’s a solid deterrent to scammers.
Meta offers this service, and you can set it up via the security page in the app.
Check your login activity
Keep an eye on your login activity, which can also be found under the security section of the app. There, you’ll see all the devices that your Instagram account is currently logged into, plus their geographic locations. If you see suspicious activity here, you can log out of those devices from your current one.
Check which third-party apps have access to your Instagram account
Granting third-party apps access to your account is an easy way to share content across different platforms, but it does come with some level of risk: Hackers can break into those apps and steal your Instagram login info. Head to your security settings, then click Apps and Websites to see what other apps have access to your Instagram account. Keep an eye out for any big data breaches that might affect those apps—if one happens, you’ll want to change your password immediately.
Enable auto-save
Though this measure won’t necessarily protect your account from hackers, it does give you a chance to save all your photos to your phone in the event you have your Instagram hacked and deleted.
In the app, click on Settings, then Account, then Original Photos (iPhone) or Original Posts (Android), and make sure that Save is toggled on.
[2022] How to find out who hacked your Instagram?
Before you begin
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms among young people, celebrities and famous brands. Due to its growing popularity, the Instagram audience has become an easy target for hackers.
We often come across news of celebrity and brand Instagram accounts being hacked. If a user is not serious about the security of their account, it can be easily hacked by hackers in just a couple of minutes. nine0005
In this article, we will tell you how to find out who is trying to hack your Instagram account , how to prevent such hacking and what to do if your Instagram account has been hacked.
- 1. 3 ways to find out who hacked your Instagram account
- 2. 4 things to prevent your Instagram account from being hacked
- 3.
Tips: How to recover a hacked Instagram account
1. How to find out who hacked my Instagram
If you notice unusual activity on your Instagram account, chances are your account has already been hacked. Here are the steps to take if your Instagram account has been hacked.
Method 1: Detect with anti-spyware
A hacker steals his victim's Instagram account credentials using spyware. Spyware is installed on the victim's phone in various ways, and they record the credentials when the victim logs into their Instagram account. nine0005
ClevGuard Anti-Spyware is a reliable spyware detection application that you can use to scan and detect spyware present on your phone.
Step 1. Click on "Download from Google Play" as shown below to install ClevGuard Anti-Spyware.
Step 2. After installing the application, check the privacy policy and click the "Get Started" button to get started.
Step 3. Click the "Scan" icon to start a detailed scan of your phone.
Once the scan is complete, you will see a list of the spy apps present along with their names. nine0005
You can also report these apps to ClevGuard if you think an app on your phone is spyware.
Method 2: Report your account to Instagram Support
Once you discover that your Instagram account has been hacked, you must report it to find out who hacked your account.
Step 1: Go to the Instagram help center and click on "Privacy, security and protection". nine0005
Step 2. Click on "Username and Password" and go to the "Login" section.
Step 3. Click on "I can't sign in" and go to the "I think my Instagram account has been hacked" section. Here you will find all the possible scenarios and steps you need to take to recover your account, depending on your situation.
Once you have recovered your account, you should contact support and ask them to provide you with the latest login details. Login information must include IP address, login information, time, and device used.
You can easily determine the hacker's IP address, as it will be different from yours. nine0005
Tracking the IP address on the Internet will help you locate the hacker.
Method 3: Help the police
The best way to find someone who hacked your Instagram account is to contact the nearest police station for help. This is because they have the necessary resources and permissions to pull Instagram details that you would never get from a support team.
Step 1. You must file a complaint about the hacked Instagram account with all possible details. nine0005
Step 2: The police station can refer the case to the cybersecurity department. The Cybersecurity Department will initiate an investigation and take appropriate action.
Step 3: The relevant officials will contact the Instagram team to find out the details of your account activity and obtain the hacker's login details.
Step 4. If the IP address is real, it will be easy for them to locate the hacker.
However, if the hacker is using a VPN, it will be difficult to trace him. However, most often the hacker is among the followers of the hacked account. Therefore, the relevant officials may conduct additional investigations against suspicious followers of your account in order to identify it, if possible. nine0005
2. How to prevent your Instagram account from being hacked?
Now that you know how to find out who hacked your Instagram account , let's move on to preventive measures. Prevention is always better than finding a quick fix. In fact, if you take all preventive steps in advance, it will be very difficult for a hacker to gain access to your Instagram account.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Two-Factor Authentication requires the user to enter credentials and a code sent to a phone number to log in. nine0005
So if a hacker somehow manages to get your credentials, he won't be able to log in. This is because he will not receive the code sent to your phone number.
Check your account login activity
You can check your account login activity in the Security section of the app. You will see all the devices on which your account is currently registered.
In addition, you will see the geographical location of the devices. If you suspect something out of the ordinary, you can sign out of all devices. In addition, you must revoke permission to access any suspicious third-party application. nine0005
View messages from Instagram
Instagram constantly alerts users via email when it detects unusual activity on an account. If someone tries to reset your password, log into your account from a new device or location, change your password, or even change your email address, you will receive an immediate email notification to your associated address.
In fact, you can undo changes via email if you can take action immediately. nine0005
Install ClevGuard Anti-Spyware
Spyware on your phone can record your account credentials when you enter them and pass them on to a hacker.
ClevGuard Anti-Spy has a special feature that prevents hackers from installing spyware.
This feature is called "Real-time Protection" and will keep your phone fully protected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will be notified as soon as the spyware detection application detects attempts to download and install spyware. nine0005
3. Tips: How to recover a hacked Instagram account
If you are wondering how to recover a hacked Instagram account , then here is the answer. If you haven't changed your password, but you can't sign in with your password, then your account has been hacked.
To confirm, you can check your email where you should find the password change notification.
Below is a list of steps you need to take to recover your Instagram account after being hacked. nine0005
Step 1: Check your email account
When a hacker changed your password, Instagram should immediately notify you via your email. So check your inbox and look for the email notification.
In the body of the email, you will find the "Revert this change" option. Click on it and follow the on-screen instructions to see if you can recover your account.
Step 2: Get the login link
If the changes were not reverted, do the following.
1. Go to the login screen.
2. Click on the "Forgot your password?" option.
3. On the next "Find Your Account" screen, enter the username, email address, or phone number associated with your account. Click on the "Next" button.
4. You will be prompted to select an email address or phone number to send the login link to.
You will receive a login link to your email address or phone number. By clicking on the link, you can reset your password and log into your account.
Step 3: Request a security code
If the login link does not work, you need to request a security code.
1. Click on the "I can't access this email or phone number" option.
2.
A support request form will appear asking you to enter various details about your account. Here you can enter a new email address to which the security code will be sent. nine0005
3. After submitting the application, you will receive a security code to your new email address.
To check:
You must take a selfie with the security code handwritten on a piece of paper. You may also need to provide support with your email address, phone number, and even the device you used to sign up for your account.
Conclusion
Instagram accounts are often hacked by the hacker community. Therefore, it is important for users to take all the preventive measures that we have described. Install a spyware detection app like ClevGuard for real-time protection. We have described in detail, what to do if your Instagram account was hacked to recover it successfully.
I was hacked - what to do and how to find out who hacked
how popular the account was.
Sometimes scammers make money through hacks when it comes to celebrity accounts, but it often happens to ordinary users in order to be able to send spam on their behalf or just have fun. Depending on where the hacking took place, how long ago, and presumably for what purposes, this situation needs to be dealt with in different ways. nine0005
How to understand that attackers have access to the page
Detect this very quickly, especially if the account is maintained regularly, and most sections of the site are viewed every day. In order to understand that I have been hacked, initially a person pays attention to his outgoing messages. Having gained access to the account, the attackers immediately begin to act, instead of sitting idly by. Usually they will send your friends links to some unknown sites and recommendations on your behalf that you have been visiting the portal for a long time and are satisfied with its functionality. nine0005
There is another way to find out that I was hacked (use it when it comes to private hacks).
Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki in the settings section contain a similar function with which you can find out when and from where on the last day or hour you entered your personal page. Each social network uses different section names to indicate this feature, but finding them will not be difficult.
What does the message "I was hacked" from different servers mean if no suspicious outgoing messages were noticed? As a rule, this is due to suspicious page activity: registration in many games at the same time, likes under other people's posts, and so on. In this case, in addition to the main notification, the system will also give a comment with its “thoughts” regarding the current situation. Your account will be frozen, and in order to restore it, you will need the number to which the account is linked. As soon as access is restored, we recommend sending your friends the message “Friends, I was hacked!”, as scammers could delete what they wrote to them while they were on the account.
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Basic steps to regain access to your account
It's easy to answer the question of what to do if I've been hacked, but the details of recommended behavior will depend on many factors. Recommendations for any situation are described below, and if they try to hack you or your friend what to do, you will know.
Vkontakte
The easiest way to restore access to social networks: to do this, change the password using your phone number, email or by contacting support, and then tell your friends that you have nothing to do with the records and messages that received from your address within a certain time. nine0005
You can get more detailed information here: xakepam.net/vzlomali-vk
Odnoklassniki
Like the VK network, this one contains a function to restore access to a frozen page, or to change personal data at the entrance.
Use the advice given in this article: xakepam.
