Meta launches new tool to help hacked Instagram users

It seems like every time you log onto Instagram, multiple friends have had to make the ever-feared forced post: “I was hacked, please don’t click the link that I apparently DM’d everyone with for free Ray-Bans.” It’s a fairly common occurrence: About 13 of every 100 Americans have been hacked on Instagram, according to NordVPN. 

There are, of course, preventative measures you can take to avoid an attack. You can enable two-factor authentication, which is sometimes called “two-step verification” or “multi-factor authentication.” When you enable that feature — something you can do on just about any social media platform — you give your phone number to a service which will text an access code to your device when you input your password to log in. You can also make sure you have a strong password and complete Instagram’s Security Check-Up.

You can also simply decide to not have an Instagram, but as we’ve learned time and time again, abstinence-only education really doesn’t work. That’s why Instagram introduced a new feature designed to help users if and when they lose access to their account because of a hacking issue.

Instagram.com/hacked is a “new, comprehensive destination people can rely on to report and resolve account access issues,” according to Instagram’s blog post about the feature. If you’ve been hacked out of your account, visit Instagram.com/hacked, select that you’ve been hacked — or any other reason you’re locked out of your account, like if you forgot your password, lost access to two-factor authentication, or if your account has been disabled. Then Instagram prompts you with a series of questions that should help you get your access back.

“We know losing access to your Instagram account can be stressful, so we want to ensure people have multiple options to get their accounts back if they lose access,” Instagram wrote in a blog post. Or you could always take a hack as a sign from above to delete your account altogether and go off the grid.