What Disney's Meta Disaster Teaches Us About Security

Cybercriminals are constantly scanning for weak attack vectors they can exploit to generate opportunities for account takeovers, impersonation, and running scams. They target businesses of all sizes, from small startups to global giants. And when they find a vulnerability, they act fast.

Disney's recent Meta hack shows how quickly a breach can spiral into a full-blown crisis. Within minutes, hackers hijacked Disney's verified social media accounts and promoted a fake cryptocurrency scam to millions of followers. The attack exposed how vulnerable even the most recognizable brands can be when security measures fall short.

In this post, we'll examine what happened to Disney's Meta accounts, explore how the breach unfolded, and break down six practical strategies you can use to protect your business from similar attacks.

What Happened To Disney's Meta Accounts?

On October 1, 2025, Disney's official Instagram and Facebook account were hacked by an unknown group. Hackers began posting and sharing stories promoting a fake cryptocurrency called "Disney Solana." The posts came directly from Disney's verified pages, grabbing the attention of fans across social media.

People on Reddit and X started sharing screenshots of the posts. Some users were confused, thinking Disney had actually launched a cryptocurrency, while others immediately recognized that the accounts had been compromised.

One Redditor reported that the coin's value briefly spiked to a $60,000 market cap before crashing to $7,000, noting that someone likely made around $50,000 by scamming unsuspecting fans in under 30 minutes. An X user, @ImaginativeArt, also shared now-deleted screenshots featuring a fake Disney Solana logo and instructions on how to buy the coin.

Disney reacted quickly by removing all unauthorized posts and stories as soon as they appeared. However, the company has not publicly confirmed the details of the breach or commented on how it happened.

While Disney hasn't released an official statement on the extent of the damage, reports suggest that hundreds of fans were tricked into buying the fake cryptocurrency.

How Can Businesses Protect Their Social Profiles?

In cases like the Disney hack, you must make sure the attack surface is reduced as much as possible and all end points are protected. If hackers breach Meta business suite, they'll immediately gain access to all connected accounts. That's why you must do everything in your power to prevent this from happening.

Here's the best way to ensure your Meta accounts are safe:

1) Use Unique, Strong Passwords Across All Your Accounts

According to Microsoft, there are more than 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts to its cloud services everyday. That number shows just how common and aggressive these attacks really are.

The good news is that strong passwords help prevent unauthorized access, protect your personal and financial information, and reduce the risk of identity theft and data breaches.

Weak or reused passwords, on the other hand, make it easy for hackers to have access. If one of your passwords gets exposed, it can give them a way into every account. And if you have a business and use, for example, Meta Business Suite, and they get into that, hackers could automatically gain control of your linked Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts.

To strengthen your security, avoid using personal details like names, birthdays, or pet names in your passwords. A strong password should be at least 14 characters long (ideally 20 or more), mixing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. And each account should have its own unique password to prevent a breach from spreading.

Also, since remembering every password can be difficult, use a secure password manager. It safely stores all your passwords in one place, generates strong ones for new accounts, and automatically fills them in when you want to log in.

2) Enable 2FA For Teams

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a security method that strengthens account access by requiring two different types of verification. Instead of relying only on an email and password, it adds a second step to confirm your identity. This could be:

• Something you are, like a fingerprint or face ID,
• Something you know, like a password or security question,
• Or something you have, like a smartphone or security key.

For example, after entering your password, you might need to approve a login on your phone or enter a code from an authentication app.

That said, traditional 2FA works for individuals, but it's not ideal for businesses where many people need access to shared accounts.

2FA for teams is built for this kind of setup. It works across multiple users instead of being tied to one person's device. This is perfect for marketing or social media teams that need everyone to log in securely without sharing passwords and an authentication method. Also, access is managed centrally, so when someone leaves the team or changes roles, you can revoke their access immediately without interrupting anyone's work.

That's where tools like Spikerz make a difference. Spikerz manages account access from one dashboard and sends alerts for phishing attempts, scams, impersonation, or platform violations. Additionally, it protects more than just Meta platforms. It gives business and marketing teams visibility and control across multiple social accounts. It's a practical solution for teams that need to stay secure when managing their entire online presence.

3) Audit Your Team Members

Every business must keep track of who has access to their social media accounts. If they ignore it, it can leave their brand exposed to serious risks that are easy to avoid with a regular access review.

For instance, if a former employee still has access to your accounts, they could easily cause damage. They might remove posts, change settings, or even delete the account completely. Someone with old access could also post unauthorized content that hurts your brand's reputation.

Even current team members can cause problems if they have more access than needed. A junior marketer with admin rights, for example, could accidentally delete important content or change settings that affect your campaigns.

There's also the issue of data privacy. If people who no longer work with you still have access to customer information, your business could face compliance risks under laws like CCPA or GDPR, and that can lead to expensive legal trouble that can be completely preventable.

To stay safe, take time to review each person's role and access level. Ask yourself if their permissions match what they actually need to do their job. Do they have more control than necessary?

Make sure there's a process in place to revoke access when someone leaves your team. Also check for overlap. Are there multiple people with the same permissions doing similar tasks?

4) Use Antivirus Software To Protect Local Environments

Antivirus software are programs designed to detect, block, and remove malicious software from your computer. It scans files and your system's memory for patterns that match known threats, like viruses and other forms of malware.

You should use antivirus software on all your local devices to protect them from malware, especially infostealers. Infostealers are a type of malicious software that secretly collects sensitive information from your system. They can steal login credentials, financial details, personal data, browser history, emails, and even crypto wallet information. Some can also take screenshots or copy files without your knowledge.

These types of attacks often come from phishing emails, infected websites, or unsafe software downloads. Keeping antivirus software active and updated ensures your devices are continuously scanned and protected from infostealers and other threats.

5) Enable Account Monitoring To Scan For Suspicious Activity

Enabling account monitoring is key to keeping your social media accounts secure. It detects suspicious activity, prevents fraud, and removes intruders as soon as an unauthorized login is detected.

With that said, social media platforms handle some monitoring automatically. For example, if you use Meta Business Suite, Meta monitors your Instagram, Facebook, and Threads accounts. The biggest issue, though, is that if hackers successfully breach your account, they'll immediately compromise all connected accounts. That's why it's not always ideal to leave security of individual accounts to Meta.

Manual monitoring is also an option, but it's time-consuming and less effective for businesses managing multiple accounts other than the ones Meta offers, like TikTok, X, or even YouTube.

Thankfully, there are many types of account monitoring software, but the most effective for social media is social media security software. These types of tools centralize security and protect business accounts from hacking attempts, unauthorized access, impersonators, scammers, phishing, and automated bots.

One example of this is Spikerz. It monitors login patterns, unrecognized access, and permission changes in real time. It automatically removes intruders, resets compromised passwords, and sends instant alerts during a breach.

It also provides automated backups, filters spam and offensive content, and ensures your posts comply with platform rules. Spikerz keeps your business accounts secure and helps maintain smooth, uninterrupted operations.

6) Train Your Employees To Recognize Phishing Attempts

People are often the weakest link in an organization's security, and this isn't because employees are careless, but because human factors like fatigue and distraction make them more susceptible to making mistakes. For example, a tired employee checking DMs on Instagram or Threads might not notice a suspicious link or fake message. And without proper training, clicking wrong just once can expose sensitive data or compromise your business accounts.

Training employees to recognize phishing and social engineering attacks helps prevent these situations. Regular training keeps your team alert to new threats and reveals where additional support is needed to strengthen your overall security.

These threats are getting worse as attackers start using AI and deepfakes to make fake content look real. What used to need technical skill can now be done with basic tools, making it easy to create convincing videos or messages that appear to come from a trusted leader or colleague.

Most people already know these kinds of attacks exist, but they still struggle to recognize them. Research from iProov shows that while 71% of people are aware of deepfakes, only 0.1% can consistently identify them.

That's why ongoing training is so important. Teaching employees how to spot phishing attempts, AI-generated messages, and deepfakes helps protect your organization from data breaches, long-term damage to trust, and financial loss.

Conclusion

Disney's Meta breach serves as a wake-up call. When hackers compromised their verified accounts, they reached millions of followers within minutes, promoted a fake cryptocurrency, and disappeared with approximately $50,000 from unsuspecting fans. The speed of the attack shows why reactive security measures simply aren't enough anymore.

Your social media accounts are prime targets. Hackers know that breaking into one account through Meta Business Suite gives them instant access to all connected platforms. That's why you need multiple layers of protection: strong unique passwords, team-based 2FA, regular access audits, antivirus software, continuous account monitoring, and ongoing employee training.

Take action now. Review your current security posture, identify gaps in your protection, and implement the strategies we've covered. Your brand's reputation depends on it.