Instagram Adds Two-Factor Authentication For Extra Security

Fans of selfies and breakfast photos will now be able to share their pictures with added peace of mind after Instagram added an extra level of security to its app.

The photo-sharing site has announced it will now be adding two-factor authentication (2FA) to its service, meaning users can choose to have two forms of identification verified before accessing their account.

The introduction of 2FA should cut down on unauthorised access to user accounts, and also brings Instagram up to scratch with many other leading social media sites, which have had the protection in place for some time.

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Going forward, Instagram will require a code generated on a second device to be entered alongside passwords when logging on to an account. This will typically be sent to a user’s mobile phones via SMS.

Quite why Instagram has taken so long to introduce 2FA is a mystery, particularly when its parent company Facebook has been using the service for nearly five years.

Amazon also introduced 2FA for the first time back in November as it looked to boost its online security protection, as did chat app Snapchat, which added 2FA to its service in June following a major data breach that saw user data and photos stolen.

Instagram has been under pressure to ramp up its security following a number of high-profile incidents last year, including one where the account of singer Taylor Swift was hijacked by hackers Lizard Squad.

Following this, security firm Proofpoint launched the first ever solution geared towards boosting Instagram security and privacy.

Its Proofpoint SocialPatrol offering automatically identifies Instagram security threats, compliance violations and inappropriate content for removal.

The service scans all Instagram images, captions and comments on brand or corporate-owned accounts for pornographic, malicious or otherwise inappropriate content and notifies account owners. Once identified, social media marketers can easily remove inappropriate posts made by cybercriminals, spammers and rogue employees.

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