With the advancement of technology, Kenyans social media accounts have become prone to attacks from hackers.
Cyber security expert, Bright Gameli, linked the rise in social media hacking to the availability of tools that can be accessed easily on the internet.
However, social media platforms have different methods through which Kenyans can be able to regain access to their accounts that have been compromised.
Nonetheless, despite the recovery steps that have been developed by the various platforms, users are often asked to secure their email accounts by using the two-step verification.
"Email security forms the basis of security and if you do not secure your email, then you will be exploited easily," Gameli stated.
Additionally, he advises that when changing passwords, it is important to clear cache data and all passwords.
Instagram
Unlike other social media platforms, online users can regain control of their hacked Instagram accounts by using their pictures.
Therefore, it is advisable for Instagram users to always post pictures of themselves so that the app can use face recognition to verify the owner of the account.
"If you request support for an account with photos of you, you will be asked to take a video selfie of you turning your head in different directions to help us check that you are a real person and confirm your identity.
"Once you have submitted the video selfie to help us verify your identity, you will receive an email from Instagram at the secure email address that you provided. We use this video to ensure that you are a real person and that you are who you say you are," reads the Instagram directory.
Once your face has been verified, a link is usually sent to the entered email address and can be used to regain access to the account.
Other methods include resetting the password by requesting for a link to be sent to the email by clicking the forgot password icon.
Twitter
In the event that a Twitter account is hacked, one can recover their account by requesting a password reset link to the email address used to register the account.
Additionlly, if an email has been compromised, a person can always contact the applications support center who will send further instructions on how to recover the account.
Under this platform, it is advisable to activate the two-step verification so as to protect accounts. With this feature, one is required to set a pin which will be required when a hacker tries to use your phone number to log into the app on another phone.
In cases where the hackers change the emails used in registering the account, this can be reversed by sending a request to reverse the hacker's changes.
"If the email address associated with your Facebook account has changed, you can reverse this. When an email address is changed, we send a message to the previous email account with a special link. You can click this link to reverse the email address change and secure your account," the Facebook directory directs.
Additionally, an online Facebook user can access their account through a trusted friend by opening Facebook and clicking forgot account.
One will be directed to enter a new email if the previous ones cannot be accessed. After setting a password, one will then be requested to provide the full names of their trusted contacts on Facebook with a link sent.
Once you receive the link, you will be required to send it to a trusted friend who will then get a login code that can be used to recover the hacked account.
