It comes the "gram-hacking". What it is and how to defend against this new cyber threat.
Gram-hacking is the name of the new scam that arrives through social networks, specifically, Instagram. The mechanism takes advantage of the spread of the social network and the fact that many today have an account. By acting on the sense of fear of a possible violation, the cybercriminals send specially designed messages that push to act quickly, leading the frightened user to carry out actions that actually lead him to put his login credentials in the hands of cybercriminals.
Phishing e-mails.
It all starts with the most classic of e-mails. A message arrives in the inbox, apparently sent by Instagram itself, warning of a possible copyright infringement of a published image. The threat follows: if you don't act quickly your account will be closed. The user is thus prompted to fill in a form to avoid closure and further problems in the future. With a nice link to click.
Through that notorious link, criminals will thus be able to obtain the credentials from the user himself to access the Instagram account and take control of it. It appears that at this point the profile picture and name are changed to "pharabenfarway" setting off the ransom trap. In fact, on the main screen a number is published to contact to make the payment of the ransom and get back into possession of your account. But, to make sure you monetize, it appears that cybercriminals are selling the account in the meantime. Insured earnings even if the victim decides not to pay.
How to defend against Gram-Hacking.
Defending yourself against Gram-Hacking attacks isn't that difficult. Of course, the first and foremost thing to do is never to click on links that are sent via suspicious emails. In addition, Instagram also offers two-factor authentication. It means that in addition to the username and password, at the time of access, a second identity verification is also requested. This makes life significantly more difficult for anyone who has an interest in hacking into personal accounts. To activate two-factor authentication on Instagram just activate it from the settings.
