To offer more assurance in recovering hacked accounts, Facebook-owned messaging app Instagram is testing a new in-app account recovery process.
To control cases where the hackers alter username andcontact data linked to the accounts, Instagram is offering a safeguard whichwould prevent any username from being claimed for a “period of time”after account changes, whether it is a hack or a voluntary change.
As part of the new test process, for recovery, users arebeing asked to fill in their personal information such as their original emailaddress or phone number and later send them a six-digit code to the contactinformation of their choice, Engadget reported on Sunday.
The new method is intended to ensure account recovery evenif the hacker alters the username and contact information linked to theaccount. With this process, the photo-messaging app alsointends to prevent hackers from using email or phone number codes to take overaccounts from different devices, the report said. For now, details on the wideravailability of this in-app remains unclear, although the username lockdown hasbeen made available to all Android users now which is being deployed to iOSusers as well.