In today’s digital age, social media has become an essential tool for churches and charities like yours to connect with their communities, share important messages, and promote their causes. However, the rise of cyber threats has made it increasingly important for organisations to secure their social media accounts from potential hijacking by disgruntled or estranged social media managers and volunteers. Here, we have put together a detailed blog post, containing steps on how to secure your social media accounts and prevent hijacks, as well as insights you can explore to recover already stolen or hijacked accounts.

Preventing Social Media Account Hijacking

Securing social media accounts is crucial for churches and charities to protect their reputation, maintain trust with their audience, and safeguard their digital presence. By adhering to the following suggested preventive measures, you can minimise the risk of your social media account being hijacked, and maintain control over your online presence. The following insights will help your church and charity secure your various social media accounts:

1. Use only strong passwords: ensure that all social media accounts have strong and unique passwords. Avoid using easily predictable information. You can consider using a password manager to store and generate secure passwords.
2. Be careful about who you give authorised access to or admin roles: grant social media admin access only to trusted individuals who have proven to be reliable. Limit access to who can directly manage your organisation’s accounts. Regularly review and update the list of authorised administrators to ensure only relevant personnel have access. Where possible have a dedicated device only through which a social media manager logs into your accounts.
3. Use two-factor authentication: enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all social media accounts. 2FA provides an additional layer of security by requiring a verification code in addition to the password during the login process. Ensure to link all verification codes to your personal number or email, that way you are in charge.
4. Regularly monitor your social account activities: stay vigilant by monitoring your social media accounts for any suspicious activity. Keep an eye out for unauthorised changes, unusual posts, or unexpected messages. Promptly investigate and address any concerns.
5. Personalise all contact information: ensure that all contact information associated with your social media accounts, such as email addresses and phone numbers, are accurate and are linked to the founders, trustees or church leaders. This will reduce the chances of your accounts getting hijacked and facilitate faster account recovery processes in case of eventualities.

Recovering hijacked social media accounts

Remember, vigilance, strong security practices, regulated access and regular monitoring are key to ensuring the safety and integrity of your social media accounts. Losing control of your church or charity’s accounts can be detrimental, leading to the dissemination of false information, impersonation for financial gains or even damage to the organisation’s reputation. In the event of a hijacked account, quickly utilise the appropriate recovery resources provided for each platform. While securing social media accounts is essential, recovering hijacked accounts is not impossible in most cases. Below are comprehensive steps you can explore to recover hijacked social media accounts.

Instagram Account Recovery:
Instagram provides several options for recovering a hijacked account. If you are having trouble logging in, you can reset your password by entering your username, email address, or phone number. Instagram will then send a link to reset your password. If this method doesn’t work, you can recover your account by visiting the following Instagram Help pages:
https://help.instagram.com/374546259294234/?helpref=hc_fnav – If you’re having trouble logging into your Instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/hacked/ – If you are not able to reset your password with the guideline given or if you are convinced your account has been taken over

Facebook Page Recovery:
For organisations using Facebook Pages, losing control of the account can be distressing. If you suspect your Page has been taken over, the first step is to check if another admin or person with full control of the Page may have removed you. Reach out to them and request to be added back.

Considering that your personal Facebook account is linked to all your Facebook pages, if your personal Facebook account is hacked it will invariably affect all your pages as the hacker will be in control of all your pages. So, you should secure it by following the necessary steps outlined in the Facebook Help Center, click here to get started. If actually your personal account was hacked, you can take the steps listed here to help reclaim it.

If you think the personal account of someone else who manages your Page was hacked, please tell them to go to the Hacked Accounts section of the Help Center to get immediate help. Keep in mind that you may have also lost access to your Page if you’re not the authorised representative of Page’s subject or content, or if your Page was reported and removed for infringing someone’s intellectual property rights.

Twitter Account Recovery:
If you believe your Twitter account has been hacked, the platform offers a password reset option. By requesting a password reset, you will receive an email with instructions on how to regain access to your account. If you are unable to log in even after a password reset, you can submit a support request to Twitter.

Ensure you provide the necessary information, including your username and the date you last had access to your account. If you are unable to log in with your username and password, visit this page. If you think your account has been compromised or hacked, click here to start the reclaiming process. If you no longer have access to the email associated with your Twitter accounts, go here to learn how to reclaim your account.

YouTube Account Recovery:
YouTube, being one of the most popular platforms for video content, also provides options to recover stolen accounts. If your YouTube account has been hijacked, you can follow the steps outlined on this page and also check out this page if your account has been hacked, to receive guidelines from official Google Support.

In Summary

Protecting your church or charity’s social media accounts from hijacking is of utmost importance in maintaining your organisation’s reputation and trust with your audience, especially in today’s digital landscape. By implementing the preventive measures shared in this blog post, you can significantly reduce the risk of hijacking. Additionally, regularly monitoring your account activities makes swift recovery possible and faster, in the unfortunate event of a hijacked account. Stay proactive, stay vigilant, and safeguard the digital presence that drives your mission forward.