The earlier you get into social media, the more attractive account names you can get. If the platform becomes a huge success, those names will be in high demand and can be hacked and sold to others. [According to security journalist Brian Krebs, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are beginning to address this issue.

Instagram, a Facebook subsidiary, recently launched an action against a community called OGUsers.

According to Krebs, accounts are being stolen through a variety of methods, including threats, harassment, extortion, blackmail, swatting, and traditional hacking techniques such as SIM swapping.

If this name sounds familiar, it is because one member of the OGUsers community was involved in a mass hack of authenticated Twitter accounts last July. The hack became so serious that the company was forced to suspend tweets from authenticated users until everything was resolved.

Facebook has now seized hundreds of accounts linked to OGUsers members, including some that advertise their ability to broker sales of stolen accounts Both TikTok and Twitter are involved, with Twitter confirmed that it was working with Facebook to seize the OGUsers-related accounts.

This includes "middlemen" who act as intermediaries for transactions. After all, purchasing a hacked social media account is a crime, and when crime is involved, the likelihood of being duped increases.

Krebs points out that these people are sought out for their proven reliability and will keep the money until the buyer is satisfied. In return, they receive a percentage of the cash.

Facebook confirms that this is not the first action it has taken against account hackers and admits that this will not stop them. However, its goal is to make it more difficult and expensive for hackers to take over and sell desirable accounts. Facebook is also making it easier for victims to restore posts deleted by hackers through a new feature called "Recently Deleted."

They have 30 days to retrieve deleted content if they can prove they are the original owner. Hackers also cannot permanently delete anything in a folder unless they can do the same.

Naturally, this news is a reminder to make sure your social media accounts are secure. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication to make it more difficult for potential hijackers. If possible, use physical security keys or authentication apps rather than SMS-based authentication systems.

That way, in the unlikely event that a hacker gains control of your phone number through a SIM swap, they will not have full access to your account.