Share this article

Improve this guide

Can You Get Hacked Through Instagram DM? [Prevention Guide]

It’s time to get selective on who can send you Instagram DMs

8 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

We are all aware of the dangers of social media and how it can be used against us. However, cybercriminals are always devising new ways to catch us off guard, hence today’s big question. Can someone hack my Instagram through DM?

Yes, but if you’re careful enough, this can never be you. YourInstagram may not be openingbecause you’ve been hacked. If you’re not sure of the preventative techniques, aren’t you lucky? We lay it all for you in this article.

Secure your devices with award-winning cybersecurity technology.

Maximize your PC’s security and performance with top-notch digital threat detection.

Keep secure with groundbreaking AI detection and prevention technology.

Browse the web securely for up to 3 devices across Windows, Mac, iOS or Android systems.

Best security tool for intense browsing activity.

How do Instagram accounts get hacked?

There are several ways that hackers can take over your account, but one of the most common ways is by sending you a malicious link in an Instagram DM. It may look like it’s from someone you know but isn’t actually from them at all.

Usually, it’s from someone impersonating them with a fake account designed specifically for phishing attacks. This is not the only way so here are more ways they can do so:

How to know if someone hacked your Instagram account

Let’s face it, we are all using Instagram to keep up with the Joneses or to boost our businesses. Whatever the case, our Instagram accounts, whether big or small are precious to us, and losing them to hackers can be devastating.

To stay safe, we need to know when we’ve been compromised. Below are some quick questions that will help shed light on this matter:

So, does Instagram notify you if you get hacked? No. You’ll probably get an email that your password has been changed or that you can’t log into your account after the hacker has already taken over.

How can I prevent getting hacked through Instagram DM?

Before we get into the main points, we’d like to reiterate a few basics that anyone on the Internet should practice:

1. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection when logging into your account by requiring you to enter a security code that is sent to your phone via text message or generated by an app.

This adds a layer of security such that even if your account was compromised, the hacker would need to enter a code when logging in from a new device or IP address.

To enable two-factor authentication on Instagram, follow the steps below:

2. Never click on links in messages

If you receive a suspicious link, don’t click on it. Instead, report the message as spam and block the user who sent it.

This includes clicking on the link in an invite from someone you don’t know or even from someone you know. Sometimes, they’ve been hacked too, and are looking to add more casualties.

You should also be cautious about responding to a message with personal content. For example, if someone sends you a message asking for your phone number or address, ignore it and report them as spam instead of giving out that information.

3. Enforce message controls

Instagram DM is one of the most recent examples of the importance of utilizing message controls. You have all the power to decide who can send you an Instagram DM. This way, you can filter out all those unsolicited messages from people you don’t know.

To do this:

This is a very effective way of avoiding Instagram DMs from people you don’t know or unauthorized followers.

It may seem counter-productive given that we’re on Instagram to share a huge part of our lives. However, some personal information shouldn’t be on the Internet, and here’s why.

We spend a lot of time sharing our day-to-day lives. Take this example, for instance. A typical day on Instagram will show you how people took their pets for a walk, who celebrated their birthday, and maybe even snippets from their high-school friends.

All these activities probably require you to share some personal information, like the name of your pet, because you can’t keep saying you took your dog for a walk every day. Your pet has a name, and you want to connect with your followers.

Next, you’ll post where you went for your birthday and which high school friends attended the party. Here, you’ll probably share how old you’re turning, and anyone can quickly figure out your birth year and the high school you attended.

If any of this information forms part of your password, someone could have been watching and keeping tabs. If they take a wild guess and make out your password from the information you’ve shared, you could get in trouble.

What is the moral of the story? Don’t share personal information.

5. Perform regular account checks

Sometimes you’ll find you want to log into Instagram on another device and somehow forgot to log out. It happens. If your account ends up in the wrong hands, you stand to lose your Instagram profile.

To prevent such, perform regular housekeeping on your account. Check your account activity by following the steps below:

Perhaps most interesting here is how easy it is to hack into a victim’s account through Instagram DMs. That, in itself, might be worth taking heed of.

But the other takeaway from this story should be obvious. Your personal information may not be as secure as you’d hoped. From this article, we hope you have taken all the precautionary steps to ensure you never fall victim.

We’d also advise gettinganti-hacking softwarejust to double up on the protection. You can alsoinstall VPNs that have the same anti-hacking features.

Have you encountered a suspicious DM on Instagram before? What made it seem suspicious? Let us know in the comments section below.

Can You Get Hacked Through Instagram DM? [Prevention Guide]#

How do Instagram accounts get hacked?#

How to know if someone hacked your Instagram account#

How can I prevent getting hacked through Instagram DM?#

1. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)#

2. Never click on links in messages#

3. Enforce message controls#

4. Don’t share personal information#

5. Perform regular account checks#