International. Adrianus Warmenhoven, a specialist at the NordVPN company, has referred to the recent wave of attacks carried out by account hijackers.
Warmenhoven, who has vast experience in the area of online security, comments that the hijacking of social media accounts, which allows scammers unrestricted access to private chats, sensitive information and personal photographs, does, first of all, make victims feel vulnerable and helpless.
"Short of filing a complaint with the platform to have the account deleted, victims have few options," he continues. "Meanwhile, their profiles are at the mercy of hackers, who often pose as them to scam friends and loved ones, even holding accounts hostage in exchange for money".
Likewise, the expert highlights that, according to Action Fraud, in the United Kingdom, 3,482 cases of extortion due to hijacking of accounts on social networks were registered in a period of 13 months, until December of last year. However, he maintains that despite the threat of account hijacking, social media companies are reluctant to offer help or support.
"But there are ways to increase the security of social media accounts to avoid account hijacking altogether. Weak passwords are an obvious vulnerability that often facilitates unauthorized access. Updating them regularly and not reusing them across multiple platforms can considerably reinforce security measures,” explains Warmenhoven.
“You can also use encrypted password managers to store them securely and add an extra layer of security between a potential hacker and yourself. Better yet, choose a password manager that uses access keys, since they could not be stolen even if there is an intrusion on the website,” he points out.
Then, the NordVPN expert emphasizes that another way to increase security is to activate two-factor authentication, as it requires a code from another device when logging in, making it even more difficult to hijack your social media accounts.
"It is also important to be wary of phishing links. Be sure to verify the authenticity of links and messages before clicking, especially if they ask for sensitive information. Friends or family who are not familiar with these types of scams should be informed so let them be alert,” he concludes.
