Instagram CEO urges people to turn on key feature to make sure you 'don't get hacked'
Instagram users have been urged to enable one key cybersecurity setting, with the social media platform's CEO chiming on with a video to share how it will help prevent you from being hacked.
There's a good chance you've already been told to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) but the advice still rings true today, and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is making sure that everyone hears it.
Your login information can only do so much to protect other people from accessing your account, and even with the most complicated password hackers can sometimes still find a way in — and that's where 2FA comes in clutch as a form of cybersecurity protection.
It provides an additional external 'locked door' that hackers have to content with in order to get into your account, saving you more than you think with effectively zero downsides.
Taking to his very own Instagram, Mosseri proclaimed: "Friendly reminder to turn on 2-Fac, two-factor authentication, to make sure that you don't get hacked. That's it."
How to enable 2FA on Instagram
Thankfully the process of enabling two-factor authentication is as easy as you would hope, so follow the steps listed below to get it set up if you haven't already:
- Select the three lines 'More' button on the top right of your profile in the Instagram app
- Press the 'Accounts Center' option at the top, and then head into the 'Password and security' section
- Click on the 'Two-factor authentication' option
- Choose the account you want to enable 2FA for
- Pick which form of authentication you want to enable, between an authentication app or through SMS or WhatsApp
Once you've got that set up you'll then need to enter the associated authentication code any time you log into your account on a new platform, but you can rest easy knowing that your data is far safer from hacking attempts going forward.
Hacking attempts increase for Instagram accounts
As reported by the BBC, there has been a recent uptick in hacking attempts against Instagram accounts that might have prompted Mosseri to issue this particular PSA — although it's never a bad time to enable 2FA and secure your account.
This particular issue relates to a vulnerability within Meta's AI support tool, which allowed hackers to 'trick' the model into giving them access to other people's accounts, although thankfully the issue has since been fixed by the social media giant.
Hacking attempts are an evergreen threat to any account you possess online, however, especially if you use the same account details across numerous platforms as one data breach can leave you completely exposed.
While it's not technically flawless, 2FA offers a far greater level of protection for everyone who uses it, so you should definitely enable it right now to save a headache in the future.