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On the JJ Barnes Blog, I check out research from online privacy experts VPN Central into which social media accounts most likely to be hacked!
I often get strange messages from my friends accounts, I’m sure you’ve seen the kind of thing I’m talking about. The “is this you in this video?” or “download this to get a great discount” or “our photos are here” type messages, always with a link.
If you’re not aware, it is super easy to accidentally click something and end up with a virus or your account taken over, or even to fill in your details so your credit cards can be used. The world is full of dickheads looking to take advantage of people, and social media definitely seems like somewhere they’re using the most.
I’m lucky that I know to be on the look out for it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t one day be fooled. So, I wanted to find out which of my social media accounts are most likely to be hacked so I know where to be extra aware! To help, experts at VPN Central sent over some research they’ve done into which platforms are most vulnerable to hacking.
Social Media Accounts Most Likely To Be Hacked
In order to determine which platforms had the highest searches for terms related to hacking, such as “hack,” “account hacked,” and “hacking,” online privacy specialists VPN Central looked at average monthly Google searches.
It found that Facebook accounts are generally lost to programmers, with 51,810 hacking-related look through each month. In recent years, Facebook has experienced a number of serious data breaches; in 2021, it was reported that 530 million users’ personal information had been compromised in a data breach.
With 22,100 monthly searches related to hacking, Instagram, a social network for sharing photos and videos, comes in at number two on the list. In response to the large number of compromised accounts on the platform, a brand-new hub was launched in December 2022, offering users a variety of options for regaining access to their compromised accounts.
Spotify
Spotify is the first non-social media service to make the top ten, coming in third with 7,210 monthly searches related to hacking. With around 456 million month to month attentive people starting around 2023, the stage has additionally been hit by a few information breaks, albeit less ongoing than different locales, with the rearward in December 2020.
With 5,120 monthly searches for terms related to hacking, WhatsApp comes in at number four on the list. Even though the platform offers strong encryption between messages, phishing scams frequently use it. If your account is hacked, these scams can spread to your contacts.
Snapchat
Snapchat rounds out the top five with 2,920 monthly searches related to hacking. Hacking is frequently used to allow scams to take place with your personal contacts or spread viruses because messaging is one of the app’s primary functions.
Top Ten Most Hacked Social Media
| Rank | Platform | Hacking related searches per month |
| 1 | 51,810 | |
| 2 | 22,100 | |
| 3 | Spotify | 7,210 |
| 4 | 5,120 | |
| 5 | Snapchat | 2,920 |
| 6 | PlayStation | 2,820 |
| 7 | Twitch | 2,490 |
| 8 | 2,230 | |
| 9 | Netflix | 2,130 |
| 10 | YouTube | 1,480 |
VPN Central
A spokesperson for VPN Central explained that the wide range of platforms and their intended use in the top ten highlights the extent to which all types of accounts are being targeted and the significance of protecting all of your passwords to the greatest extent possible. In this instance, virtual private networks (VPNs) may be of assistance, with the added benefit that users can browse these sites and their connections in greater privacy.
The review was led by VPN Focal, a group of VPN specialists and protection advocates who endeavor consistently to keep the public educated and cutting-edge on all that is VPN-related.
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