Instagram is in the process of making it easier for its
users to recover hacked accounts.The Facebook-owned social media site today began testing an
in-app method, essentially a two-factor authentication tool, that will be
triggered either when Instagram notes the user is having trouble logging in or
by the user clicking “need more help” on the login page. The app will then ask
the person for some specific information related to the account, email account
or a phone number that is associated with it, and then send a six-digit code to
the contact source indicated that will allow entry to the account.“This experience allows you to recover your account even if
the account information has been changed by a hacker e.g. if the username and
associated contact information is changed. As we improve this experience, in
the next few months our goal is to allow you to recover your account directly
in the app, without the need for additional support from our community
operations team,” Instagram said in a statement.
This test is iOS only, Android will follow soon.The test is being rolled out only to those using iOS
devices, but Instagram told SC Media Android will soon follow.
The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting an American man for allegedly providing U.S. border authorities with a passcode that wiped the contents of his phone, a case believed to be the first of its kind in the United States where federal prosecutors have charged someone for the alleged destruction of data using a "duress" password, as first reported by TechCrunch.
