As we all know, Instagram is the second-largest social media giant, reaching millions of user interactions a day, which means they have a duty to protect the people that have made their site what it is today. Recently, Instagram users were the target of an odd hacking campaign where the users were locked out of their account and had most of the domains of the locked accounts changed to [.ru], which is a Russian domain. There was no better time for them to add three new security tweaks, titled, “New Tools to Keep Instagram Safe.” The first of the three was the support of third-party two factor authentication (2FA). Previously, Instagram was reliant on the use of text-based two factor authentication which is not nearly secure as apps like Duo Mobile or Google authenticator–which they are now allowing to be used. Along with 2FA, a new feature allows users to get the details of accounts which have a significant number of followers. The details include when the account was created, where it is being used from, ads that are running, and username changes. In an effort to improve transparency and provide users with a sense of security, they have also made it mandatory to apply for verification–the “next level” of social status on Instagram. When users apply, they must provide a copy of their photo identification. The request is then processed and Instagram runs an investigation of the profile to help confirm the identity of the requester. Although these may not be major security parameters, in this day and age any attempt to better secure personal information is not something to take lightly.
