“Suspicious Login Attempt” On Instagram? Here’s What To Do

Getting an email from Instagram about a suspicious login attempt is scary for any user. It instantly triggers panic about potential data loss, compromised business reputation, and financial damage. However, fear shouldn't paralyze you. Instead, we have to examine the cause and then take action.

In this blog post, we will cover exactly why this happens and the specific steps you must take to secure your account immediately.

What Will Happen If You Don’t Take Attention?

The reason you are getting this email is because you either logged in from an unfamiliar location or a device you don’t usually use, or someone else logged into your account from a different location or device. That’s why we need to determine which scenario applies to you.

If this was you, nothing will happen. It’s just a new device that Instagram didn't recognize. However, if it wasn’t you, you have to take action to secure your account. Otherwise, you may lose access to your account. Hackers act quickly, and delaying your response gives them more time to lock you out.

It’s also possible this is a phishing email trying to get you to click the link to “secure your account” only to then be redirected to a spoofed website to steal your login credentials.

Attackers often mimic official emails and websites to trick you into handing over your password voluntarily. That’s why it’s essential to verify the email comes from an official email address.

Check the sender field carefully for misspellings or unofficial domains. If it’s not, ignore it and don’t click anything. If you do, you could end up installing malware on your device by mistake.

How To Secure Your Instagram Account

The best way to secure your Instagram account is to reduce your attack surface as much as possible and to add as many layers of security as you can. The point is to make it harder for unauthorized users to gain entry.

Here are some things you can do right now:

1) Change Your Password

If the email came from an official email address, the first thing you should do is change your password. Since hackers managed to breach your password, you need to ensure they lose access as soon as possible. Changing it effectively evicts them from your account.

The best way to ensure your password is secure is to create a password that is at least 20 characters long (the longer the better), randomly generated, using numbers, upper and lower case letters, symbols, and special characters. Complexity is key to preventing brute-force attacks.

Here’s an example of a secure account: 0m3Ue0cNPSzAU#*PaZE2 (just don’t use this one as it’s already public).

Also, avoid reusing passwords across websites. If hackers were to breach one account, they’d be able to compromise multiple in a cascading effect. Unique credentials isolate breaches to a single platform.

If you worry you won’t be able to remember your passwords, use a password manager like Proton Pass and 1Password to securely store and retrieve your passwords.

2) Make Sure You Have 2FA Enabled

Two factor authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security that makes it harder for hackers to breach accounts. Think of it like adding an extra lock to your home’s front door. Even if they have your password, they can’t enter without the second key.

To enable 2FA, do the following:

• Click the hamburger menu in the bottom left, then click “Settings”.
• Click “See more” in the Accounts Center, then click “Password and security”.
• Click “Two-factor authentication,” then select an account.
• Choose the security method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions.

Once you set up 2FA, save your one time codes to ensure you can access your account if you ever forget your password or lose access to your authentication app.

3) Renew Your One-Time Codes

If someone managed to get into your account and you already had 2FA enabled, it’s possible they may have copied your one-time login codes. Hackers steal these to maintain access even after you change your password. These are the codes you use when you forget your password and 2FA so you can log in to your account.

To renew your codes:

• Click “More” in the bottom left, then click “Settings”.
• Click “Accounts Center,” then click “Password and security”.
• Click “Two-factor authentication,” then click the account you'd like to get new backup codes for.
• Click “Additional Methods”.
• Click “Backup Codes”.
• Click “Get new codes”.

This invalidates the old codes, rendering them useless to intruders.

4) Review Connected Third-Party Apps

Sometimes third-party apps request more permissions than necessary that create backdoors that hackers can exploit to gain access to accounts. That’s why you should periodically review and revoke access to any apps you no longer use.

To remove an app or website from Instagram:

• Click the hamburger menu in the bottom left, then click “Settings”.
• Below “Your app and media,” click “Website permissions”.
• Click “Apps and Websites,” then click “Active”.
• Click “Remove” next to the app you'd like to remove.

5) Enable Account Monitoring

There are different types of account monitoring but what we recommend is using a specialized social media security tool that focuses on monitoring your social media presence for suspicious activity.

For example, there are tools like Spikerz that help you:

• Monitor profiles for suspicious activity like unusual login patterns and changes to account settings and blocks them.
• Analyze comments and direct messages for phishing and spam.
• Monitor for data breaches that expose personal information like your email, phone number, and passwords.
• Monitor for impersonators so you know who infringes on your copyright.
• Backup your social media content.
• Enable 2FA for teams so you can share codes between team members without the need to reach out to the person with auth app codes.
• Manage and centralize user access so you have complete visibility on who has access to your accounts.

If account monitoring is something your account or business would benefit from, create a Spikerz account right now. It’s always better to be proactive about social media security than waiting until you are hacked to take action.

Conclusion

Receiving a suspicious login alert is a wake-up call. It means your digital assets are under attack, and immediate, decisive action is required to protect your hard work. So go ahead and change your password, enable 2FA, refresh your backup codes, and clean up third-party access.

Then to truly protect your accounts, you need continuous oversight. Use dedicated monitoring tools to detect anomalies instantly and respond before damage happens.

Create your Spikerz account now and protect your Instagram from hackers.