Instagram tests easier way to recover hacked account

Instagram is working on a method that should make it easier to recover a hacked account directly from the app. At the same time, it becomes more difficult for malicious parties to abuse stolen user data.

The old method of recovering a hacked Instagram account requires the user to wait for an email from the social network or fill out a form online. The new recovery process, which according to Engadget is currently being tested with some of the users, is done entirely via the app itself. This means that help desk intervention is no longer necessary.

The affected user must enter their email address and phone number via the Instagram app. He then receives a six-digit code to an email address or mobile number of his choice. This allows the hacked account to be recovered, even if criminals have changed the username and contact information in the meantime.

To prevent criminals from appropriating the account, Instagram built a safeguard into the new method: when changes are made to an account, the username cannot be claimed ‘for a certain time’, regardless of whether it is a hack or is a voluntary choice. According to Engadget, this username freeze is now available to all Android users and the feature is also being spread to iOS devices.