With over 400 million users, Instagram has gotten so popular that hackers are now targeting the photo sharing service. Today, the company has finally rolled out two-factor authentication for the Instagram app, increasing the service users’ overall account security.
Hackers have been known to gain access to accounts to delete photos, harass contacts, and of course spam annoying fake products and scams. For brands, an Instagram hack could scare off followers and taint the their image.
The two-factor authentication tool on Instagram lets users verify their account via a phone number. Users will be sent an authentication code through an alternate contact (usually text message) when logging in; the code is necessary to prove the identity of the user. In an early buggy test spotted by Wolf Millionaire, Instagram also gave users two-factor reset codes when they activate the feature. These codes can be used to access your account, just in case lose your phone or phone number that you’ve authorised.
Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, has had two-factor authentication for over four years. The fact that the company delayed the addition of the security measure to Instagram has really put its users at risk. It’s good that Instagram has finally acknowledged the need for two-factor authentication. Once the testing phase is over and the company has made sure the feature is easy to understand and use, most users will then get the feature on their app.
(Source: TechCrunch)
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