Due to the fact that hacking attacks on VK accounts have resumed and even intensified, it is necessary to be more attentive to the security of your social network page.
There is no need to talk about the possible harmful consequences of these hacks. As a rule, scammers massively send fake messages asking to transfer funds to a bank card number and send a photo of a bank card with the name and surname of the person from whose page they are writing this written.
All this is fake, it is best to ignore such messages and, if possible, immediately inform the owner of the page that he has been hacked. It’s very easy to expose scammers with simple leading questions like: “You have the same number, I’ll call you back?” or “Let’s meet, talk, I’ll be happy to help you in person,” etc.
Unfortunately, not all people immediately understand that it is not their acquaintance who is communicating with them, but simply a scammer trying to “cheat” money on behalf of a friend, and out of their kindness and naivety they transfer money directly to scammers, thinking that they are helping a friend in a difficult situation .
Create a strong password
In order to protect your VK account from hacking, you first need to come up with a long and complex password. The contact password must contain Latin letters, which must be capitalized and small. The password must also contain various symbols and numbers.
You cannot make a password less than eight characters. If your password is too simple, immediately change it to a strong and correct one. Thus, you will take the first step to protect VK from hackers.
Password
Now I’ll probably turn on Captain Obvious, but the passwords need to be really complex. Quite often I see passwords with the names of children, my date of birth, my mobile phone number, etc. Of course, I understand that it’s easier for people to remember, but Nastya89’s is much easier to crack than xCrt56c-09xC17Yt.
Even if you forget it, you can always recover your password. In the end, it is tied to your mobile phone, unless of course you registered it without using your phone. Moreover, there is a very convenient LastPass service, thanks to which you can organize your passwords and log in from any computer. I will talk about it in another article. Well, follow these simple rules:
- Try to keep your password at least 12 characters long
- In your password, try to use capital letters, uppercase letters (small letters), numbers, hyphens, underscores, punctuation marks, etc. And try to do it at random. For example, not Nastya89, but !NasTya_19+89!
- Don't use the same code words for different sites
- Change your password periodically (at least once every six months). You can simply change a couple of characters so as not to remember a new one.
Enable two-factor authentication
In order to protect your VK page as much as possible from strangers, you need to enable protection using two-factor authentication. This function allows you to protect your account very well, because after turning it on, to log into VK you will need to enter not only a password, but also an SMS code with a code that will be sent to your mobile device.
Two-factor authentication is enabled in the page settings, in the “Security” section.
Effective ways to protect your VKontakte page
- Protect your account from hacking using a complex password. According to general recommendations, the password should be complex and consist of at least 12 characters, including alphanumeric values in different cases, punctuation marks, etc.
There should not be any pattern in its writing, that is, dates of birth of relatives and friends, telephone numbers and other easily calculated combinations of numbers should not be used.
- For maximum protection from hackers, the passwords for the VK social network and email should not be the same and should be changed at least once every 3 months.
- The next way to protect VK (contact) from hackers is associated with personal caution. Do not agree to tempting offers to download a program that allows you to find out the number of friends who have visited the page, or that allows access to other people’s accounts. You should be especially careful with free applications that require you to enter a username and password to perform any actions.
Remember: when you are in your profile, you do not need to enter any additional logins or passwords. Do not click on links or check them in advance for viruses or dangerous code. This is the only correct way to protect your VKontakte page from being hacked by hackers using phishing methods. This common type of fraud is based on the fact that a hacker, using a dummy page, which is an absolute copy of the main one on VK, lures you into giving away your login and password for the site.
The difference between the sites can only be noticed in the address bar, which you should pay attention to before entering your login and password again. If you still click on the link, immediately change your login and password on your page.
- Use up-to-date antivirus software, try to log into social networks from a secure device, and regularly scan your computer for viruses. In the event that unreliable communication channels are used, for example, free Wi-Fi, it is recommended to further protect the data. Just check the appropriate box, that is, o and save the settings. Such a connection will mean that all data on VKontakte is transmitted in encrypted form, and attackers will not be able to intercept it.
- The last effective way to protect your VKontakte (VK) account from strangers is to complicate authorization. In addition to the standard login to the site using a login and password, you can set up to protect your account by confirming the action through a one-time code that will be sent to your phone.
This can be done in the “Settings” → “Security” → “Login Confirmation” → “Connection” menu. Now, if someone tries to log into your profile, you will receive a notification about this in the form of a notification and will be able to promptly change your password on the site.
Avoid third party sites and apps
If you suddenly want to log into some third-party application or download a program where you need to enter your username and password for the page, or some other data, you do not need to do this under any circumstances. Most likely, in this way, hackers will steal your access to your account. Applications and programs can be used only those that are located directly in VK itself, and not on other resources
Other people's computers
If you log in from someone else's computer, for example a friend, or an Internet cafe, then also remember to follow a couple of rules:
- Go there through protected mode, that is, if you use Google Chrome, you access the site only through incognito mode, if you use Opera, then enter through a private window, etc.
- When logging into your account, always check the box that says “Someone else’s computer,” and don’t forget to log out of your account after you’ve finished working.
Install antivirus software on your PC
In order to protect your page not only from various hacking and malware that can steal your personal data, install a good anti-virus program on your computer. If viruses and suspicious programs are detected, the antivirus will let you know about it and protect your PC.
In this article, we told you how to protect your VK page from hacking. Follow our recommendations, create a strong password, enable two-factor protection, and never click on suspicious links, and then the likelihood of your profile being hacked and personal data stolen will be minimal.
How to protect your VK account from hacking
For users who post a lot of personal information and photos on VKontakte, losing control over the account can be a real tragedy. The methods presented earlier will certainly help protect your computer from hacking by hackers and unauthorized persons, but this cannot be completely guaranteed. In order not to lose control over your own VKontakte profile, you need to know how to secure your VKontakte page:
- Never publish personal information on VKontakte: your phone number, email address, etc. This only makes the task easier for attackers and hackers.
- Don’t make dubious acquaintances online, don’t add people you don’t know as friends. This will allow you to secure your VKontakte page, since according to statistics, hackers most often hack into profiles with a large number of subscribers.
- You can secure your VK page, as in other social networks, through proper communication with strangers. Do not give them passwords, do not click on unfamiliar links, and do not let your guard down under any circumstances.
How to unfreeze a VKontakte page?
What to do if you freeze a page on VK, how to unfreeze it? The administration of the social network Vkontakte is quite loyal to its users. In cases of any violation, a warning is first given in the form of a simple freeze. In the standard page blocking form there is a field where you need to enter your mobile phone number and click on the “Get code” button. The numbers come quickly, and all you have to do is enter the already received code in the window that appears - the page will be unfrozen.
The second freezing option is more strict. It provides for blocking the page for a certain period, which is clearly indicated in the text under the retro avatar. This is why many users are interested in how to unfreeze a VK page ahead of time. Usually it is launched by moderators for suspicious activity, for example: blocking for mass and automated sending of invitations to friends. After the specified time has elapsed, the blocking will be completed by entering the code from the phone. It is unlikely that you will be able to unfreeze the page early. Although it’s worth trying by contacting the technical support of the VKontakte team. Introduce yourself to them, clearly and briefly describe the problem and prepare all the data that may be needed for recovery. Then all you have to do is follow their instructions. If you are wondering how to unfreeze a VK page without a phone, then you are unlikely to be able to do it.
The most severe punishment is eternal freezing of the page. It is intended for those who, ignoring all warnings, continue to commit extremely undesirable actions. The text of the message and the reason for blocking will be in a window that is already familiar in style. After this, it will no longer be possible to restore the page. You will have to start a new one, going through the entire procedure from the very beginning.
Remember that restoring access to the page is completely free! Don't fall for scammers who demand payment for this. But you won’t be able to perform such an action as unfreezing a VK page without a phone in any case.
Using antiviruses
One of the most common reasons for hacking of personal pages on social networks is the appearance of viruses on the computer, which may appear to the user after he has downloaded various programs from the Internet. For example, it could be cracks or just free software, or games from torrents. To prevent viruses and other spyware from causing harm, it is necessary to install appropriate antivirus programs on your computer, which will warn and save the user from the corresponding problems. Among the effective antiviruses are: ESET, DrWeb, or, for example, Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
Rules for creating a password
Despite the fact that on many sites, during account registration, a warning appears that you should use only truly complex passwords that are not vulnerable, for example, to brute force, many users ignore this recommendation and, for the sake of simplicity, select combinations that suit them easy to remember. This is probably the most common and dangerous mistake. A truly complex password must include more than eight different characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, for example: 342iOoP&@3 . Under no circumstances should you use your date of birth or other intuitive combinations as a password.
Another common mistake is the situation when users set the same passwords for social networks and for Email, which they use during registration. This is also extremely dangerous, because if a hacker is able to find out the email password, it will be very easy for him to gain access not only to the VKontakte profile, but also to other services, using, for example, a password reset form.
At the same time, it is worth understanding where attackers can get the user’s password from. This often happens due to the fact that users switch to various third-party services that may require this password for authorization through their site. For example, various anonymizers or sites that promise to provide certain functions after authorization through a social network may turn out to be fraudulent, which will allow hackers to gain access to the user’s personal information.
Note!
If the user believes that his password might have fallen into the hands of a hacker, it is worth changing it in the settings. It is also worth checking your browsing history regularly and monitoring suspicious activity here.
Using a one-time SMS code
This is a very cool method of protection, and I would even call it the most basic in our time. Since each account is attached to the owner’s phone, it would be a sin not to use this function for protection. The bottom line is that after entering your password, you will receive an SMS with a one-time code on your phone, which you will have to enter additionally to log into the system.
To do this, you need to do the following:
- Go to “Settings”, select the “Security” line and in the center you will see the “Login Confirmation” item. Just click "Connect".
- After this, you will see a new window where you just need to click the “Proceed with setup” button.
- Next, enter your current account password and confirm your mobile phone number.
- After this, you will immediately receive a one-time code on your mobile phone, which you will have to enter. And at the end, just click “Finish setup”.
- But that's not all. You can set up a special application to generate codes. And it will work even when the mobile phone is out of network coverage. This is of course not necessary.
Also don't forget to take a screenshot or printout of the backup codes. Thanks to them, you can get in touch if, for example, you forgot your phone or its battery ran out. Then this thing can help out a lot. Each backup code is valid only once, but the list can be updated if they run out.
