Snapchat is one of the most popular video sharing app out there and having a really good profile comes with its risks. One among those risks is Snapchat hack. Yes, people will try to steal your account from you and this can happen even if you don’t have thousands of followers.
Sometimes, it can be a stalker trying to get hold of your profile or someone who is not very fond of you. And this can lead to the Snapchat account being hacked.
Part 1. Can Someone Hack Your Snapchat? (Is It Possible to Hack Snapchat Message by Others?)
Even though Snap Inc. has made many efforts in boosting account security, a determined hacker with expert skills can indeed hack a snapchat account. we have seen this in the past where 4.6 million snapchat accounts were made public by hackers in 2014.
Your Snapchat ID is made up of two parts, a username or phone numbers and a password attached to it. There are many ways in which both can be compromised, phishing being the number one culprit. There are also ways in which hackers can gain access to the servers, which comprises a large part of Snapchat account, like that of what we saw in 2014.
Part 2. Some Warning Signs to Look for If You Feel Your Snapchat Account Is Hacked
Now that you know your Snapchat account can indeed be hacked let us help you how to know if your snapchat account has been hacked. In other words, we will help you identify some traits or characteristics with your snapchat account that are telltale signs that your account has been hacked. Some of the most notable ones are:
Unusual activity on your profile
If someone has hacked your snapchat account, they will try to use it as their own. And they know that even if they are ones who are posting stuff online, people will think that it is coming from you. This can cause a lot of problems for you and identifying this as soon as possible will help you remedy it.
New friends you don’t recognize
One of the first giveaways that someone hacked your snapchat account is that they might have added people you don’t know as your friends, or they might have added themselves to your friends list. So the first thing to do is to check whether to see if your friends list have seen an increase in members. If so, and you see people you don’t recognize in your profile, someone has taken hold of your account.
Are you required to authenticate every time you log in?
When the hacker logs in from another device, they will have to log out so that you won’t know they have been using your account. However, this causes you to log in every time you want to use your account. So if snapchat asks for your authentication details every time you use your app, and doesn’t auto authenticate you, a hacker might be working behind the scenes.
Have you been getting mails from Snapchat?
When a user log in to your account from another location, Snapchat tags that login process as a suspicious activity. And they will notify the user of the same by sending email to the registered email ID. If you have been getting mails from Snapchat stating that an unusual login has taken place, check whether you recognize the location to see if it was you or someone else.
If you have expected any three of the above, then there is a good chance that someone else have access to your Snapchat account. In the next part we will discuss what you must do in such cases.
Part 3. What to Do If Your Snapchat Is Hacked?
It can be really frustrating to know that someone else have access to your Snapchat account. They can post things or send messages to others and the recipient will think that it is you who is responsible for them. In this part we will discuss ways you can get your account back from the hackers.
If you have access to your hacked Snapchat account:
Now, there are two scenarios in which you can recover your Snapchat account. the first scenario is that that you can access your Snapchat account. In other words, the hacker hasn’t changed the password. So you are no able to logging anytime. In this case, the easiest method to do is to change the Snapchat password.
Change Snapchat Password
In this guide we will help you how to change Snapchat password in a few simple steps. Take in mind that you need to have access to your account first so that we can use this method.
Step 1: Open Snapchat and go to your profile. Click on the Gear icon that is given on the top right corner of the screen.
Step 2: In the settings menu, click on the option Password.
Step 3: Enter in your current password in the text input box.
Step 4: Now enter the new password and click on SAVE when ready.
Step 5: The following window will confirm the password change.
Still Can’t Access Your Account?
The method we discussed just now is only applicable if you can get into the app to change the password, and that requires password. However, what will you do if you don’t know the password?
How to Reset Snapchat password using forget password
If you have forgotten the password to your Snapchat account, then you will not be able to login to the app to change. However, you can use the forgot password option on the login screen to reset the account. The following guide will help you with the whole process.
Step 1: Open Snapchat and click on Forgot your password? on the login window.
Step 2: Snapchat will now ask you whether you want to reset the password using Email or Phone. Click on Phone if you want to reset your password through your phone.
Step 3: If you have selected phone, then you can follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
Step 4: If you choose Email, then a verification code will be sent to your email ID. Click on the link sent to your Email ID to reset the password.
Still Can’t Access Your Account?
If you can’t reset the password of your snapchat account, then the hacker must have blocked you from the account or might have changed the credentials associated with your Snapchat account. This happens when the hacker doesn’t want you to use the account anymore.
Contact Snapchat in the help page
The last straw then is to contact Snapchat themselves. There is a support page for Snapchat that takes in customer complaints, and you must submit a request stating the company to give you full control of the profile.
The I Need Help page will help you troubleshoot the issue. Once you load the page, select the options
How can we Help? > My account login > I think my account has been hacked
You will be given some general tips that you can use to gain back the control of your account. However, if they do not work, you can contact them personally by Clicking Need help with something else > Yes.
Fill out the details, and ensure that you use your registered Email ID and Phone Number with this request. Once you share the issue with them, their customer care executive will be in touch with you, helping you regain access to your account.
Part 4. How to Secure a Snapchat Account?
You don’t have to recover or reset Snapchat account if you don’t lose it in the first place! right? So let us help you with some tips that you can use the secure you Snapchat account. With the rate of online attacks seeing an increase, its high time that you ensure your account is safe from prying hands.
Use a strong password
Even though there is a general awareness on that importance of setting a strong password to all your online accounts, many still resort to simple passwords that can be cracked easily.
This has to stop and you can take a step in the right direction by setting up a password that is hard to guess or get hold off. The major reason why may go with a simple password is because of its ease to remember. Here are some tips to make a great password;
- It must be at least 12 characters
- It must have a combination of Numbers, alphabets (uppercase and lower case), and symbols
- It shouldn’t be a dictionary word
- Don’t use personal information
- Don’t use the same password for evert account
Sometimes, it is tempting to show off your account to others have them use it for a while. But this can have serious consequences. Make sure that you never share your account information with anyone.
Keep your account safe with yourself. Even if someone asks for it, there is no need to share your account details because it’s your personal profile.
Stop using Third-party Apps and Services
Third party apps and services are used to give the app added features that the original app developer hasn’t given it. Hence, there are many third party apps out there not just for Snapchat, but also for other popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagram.
A few of the most favorite Snapchat third party apps are the ones that lets users take screenshot without the other person knowing, apps that give ability to upload music or videos, and the ones that help users upload preexisting photos.
However, these third party apps never guarantee your safety. That is why Snapchat themselves have banned all third party apps from using their API. Even then, many users resort to unsafe ways to get these third party apps working again on their accounts.
The result is that personal information will be stolen, and you will have no one else to blame but yourself. Make sure that you don’t install unnecessary apps for snapchat on your device.
Setting up two-step verification
This is something that Snapchat encourages users to do as two factor authentication is a great way to boost security of your account.
Two factor authentication divides the login process to two parts. The first part is the standard stuff where you have to login with your user name and password. but then you will not be taken directly to your account, you will be redirected to a second login screen where you will have to enter some more information about you.
By two-step verification, even if hackers have your username and password, they will not be able to log in to your account since they have to answer a personal information that is set by you beforehand. Let us go through the set up process.
Step 1: Open Snapchat and tap on the Gear icon that you see on the top right corner.
Step 2: In the settings list, click on the option Login Verification.
Step 3: A login verification code will be sent to your mobile number. Type the code into the text input box and proceed.
Now your Snapchat account will have two step verification active. By doing so, you will be able to create a recovery code. the recovery code must be stored somewhere safe, a place which only can access.
The Recovery code can be used to access your account in cases where you are blocked, or if you have lost your phone or if someone messed with your account.
Conclusion
The online world is definitely fun and with apps like Snapchat, you can connect with millions right from your phone. However, this means that people will try to hack into your account to know more about you, or in some cases, to defame you!
Following some simple procedures can help you safeguard yourself against these attacks. If your account has been hacked, then the best course of action is to reset the password immediately before further damages occur. Hope this guide gave you knowledge on identifying a snapchat account hack, and things you must do to prevent it in the future!
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