{"id":171934,"date":"2023-08-04T06:15:30","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=171934"},"modified":"2025-04-01T18:58:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T01:58:00","slug":"protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Your Social Media Passwords from Hacks and Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">What does a hacker want with your social media account? Plenty.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hackers hijack social media accounts for several reasons. They\u2019ll dupe the victim\u2019s friends and followers with scams. They\u2019ll flood feeds with misinformation. And they\u2019ll steal all kinds of personal information\u2014not to mention photos and chats in DMs. In all, a stolen social media account could lead to fraud, blackmail, and other crimes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Yet you have a strong line of defense that can prevent it from happening to you: multi-factor authentication (MFA).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">MFA goes by other names, such as two-factor authentication and two-step verification. Yet they all boost your account security in much the same way. They add an extra step or steps to the login process. Extra evidence to prove that you are, in fact, you. It\u2019s in addition to the usual username\/password combination, thus the \u201cmulti-factor\u201d in multi-factor authentication.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Examples of MFA include:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sending a one-time code via a text or phone call, often seen when logging into bank and credit card accounts.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sending a one-time code to an authentication app, such as when logging into a gaming service.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Asking for the answer to a security question, like the name of your elementary school or the model of your first car.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Biometric information, like a fingerprint or facial scan.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">With MFA, a hacker needs more than just your username and password to weasel their way into your account. They need that extra piece of evidence required by the login process, which is something only you should have.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This stands as a good reminder that you should never give out the information you use in your security questions\u2014and to never share your one-time security codes with anyone. In fact, scammers cobble up all kinds of phishing scams to steal that information.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">How to set up MFA on your social media accounts.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Major social media platforms offer MFA, although they might call it by other names. As you\u2019ll see, several platforms call it \u201ctwo-factor authentication.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Given the way that interfaces and menus can vary and get updated over time, your best bet for setting up MFA on your social media accounts is to go right to the source. Social media platforms provide the latest step-by-step instructions in their help pages. A simple search for \u201cmulti-factor authentication\u201d and the name of your social media platform should readily turn up results.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For quick reference, you can find the appropriate help pages for some of the most popular platforms here:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/help\/148233965247823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> two-factor authentication help page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/help.instagram.com\/566810106808145\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> two-factor authentication help page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/help.x.com\/en\/managing-your-account\/two-factor-authentication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> two-factor authentication help page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/m.tiktok.com\/safety\/youth-portal\/keep-your-account-secure?lang=en\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">TikTok<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> two-factor authentication help page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/help.snapchat.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/7012345351700-How-do-I-set-up-Two-Factor-Authentication-2FA-on-Snapchat-with-an-authentication-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Snapchat<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> two-factor authentication help page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Another important reminder is to check the URL of the site you\u2019re on to ensure it\u2019s legitimate. Scammers set up all kinds of phony login and account pages to steal your info. Phishing scams like those are a topic all on their own. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/media.mcafeeassets.com\/content\/dam\/npcld\/ecommerce\/en-us\/docs\/guides\/gd-phishing-security-guide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">A great way you can learn to spot them is by giving our Phishing Scam Protection Guide a quick read<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. It\u2019s part of our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/resources\/cybersecurity-reports-and-guides.html?csrc=vanity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">McAfee Safety Series<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, which covers a broad range of topics, from romance scams and digital privacy to online credit protection and ransomware.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">MFA \u2013 a good call for your social media accounts, and other accounts too.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In many ways, your social media account is an extension of yourself. It reflects your friendships, interests, likes, and conversations. Only you should have access to that. Putting MFA in place can help keep it that way.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">More broadly, enabling MFA across every account that offers it is a smart security move as well. It places a major barrier in the way of would-be hackers who, somehow, in some way, have ended up with your username and password.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">On the topic, ensure your social media accounts have strong, unique passwords in place. The one-two punch of strong, unique passwords and MFA will make hacking your account tougher still. Wondering what a strong, unique password looks like? Here\u2019s a hint: a password with eight characters is less secure than you might think. With a quick read, you can create strong, unique passwords that are tough to crack.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lastly, consider using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/identity-theft\/protection.html?path=blogs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">comprehensive online protection software<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> if you aren\u2019t already. In addition to securing your devices from hacks and attacks, it can help protect your privacy and identity across your travels online\u2014both on social media and off.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does a hacker want with your social media account? Plenty.\u00a0 Hackers hijack social media accounts for several reasons. They\u2019ll&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1407,"featured_media":172084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10670,13],"tags":[7885,100,5066,15929,5068,4222,5751,5104],"coauthors":[15735],"class_list":["post-171934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tricks","category-privacy-identity-protection","tag-2fa","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-mfa","tag-snapchat","tag-social-media","tag-tiktok","tag-twitter"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Protect Your Social Media Passwords from Hacks and Attacks | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does a hacker want with your social media account? Plenty.\u00a0 Hackers hijack social media accounts for several reasons. They\u2019ll dupe the victim\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Protect Your Social Media Passwords from Hacks and Attacks | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does a hacker want with your social media account? Plenty.\u00a0 Hackers hijack social media accounts for several reasons. They\u2019ll dupe the victim\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-04T13:15:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-02T01:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/300x200_Blog_080423.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/49b8ff7075f52333a95710a8340c326f\"},\"headline\":\"How to Protect Your Social Media Passwords from Hacks and Attacks\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-04T13:15:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-02T01:58:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/\"},\"wordCount\":749,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/300x200_Blog_080423.png\",\"keywords\":[\"2FA\",\"facebook\",\"Instagram\",\"MFA\",\"Snapchat\",\"social media\",\"TikTok\",\"twitter\"],\"articleSection\":[\"How To Guides and Tutorials\",\"Privacy &amp; Identity Protection\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/\",\"name\":\"How to Protect Your Social Media Passwords from Hacks and Attacks | McAfee Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/protect-your-social-media-passwords-from-hacks-and-attacks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/300x200_Blog_080423.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-04T13:15:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-02T01:58:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"What does a hacker want with your social media account? 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