My friend had her Instagram account hacked, and the hackers contacted all her followers asking for money. I want to figure out what precautions to take so it doesn't happen to me, especially since I use the same phone for work too.
I agree on two-factor authentication, but it's just the basics. What's missing is protecting the rest: use a strong password that's different from your other accounts (if Gmail has the same password as Instagram and someone cracks Gmail, you're done for), turn on login alerts in settings, and regularly check which apps have access to your account. Most importantly, if you use the same phone for work, install a decent password manager so you're not tempted to use the same combination everywhere for convenience - that's the fastest way to get everything hacked at once.
The first thing is to enable two-factor authentication directly in Instagram's security settings, so even if someone figures out your password they can't get in without the code you receive on your phone. Change your password regularly, use something complicated that you don't use anywhere else (especially for work) and avoid connecting to public wifi networks when you log into Instagram. Another important thing is to check your active sessions in the settings once in a while and remove any you don't recognize, like if you notice a login from a city you haven't been to. Since you use the same phone for work, keep your operating system updated and install decent antivirus software too.
If you use the same phone for work and Instagram, the risk goes up quite a bit because an attack on your phone could compromise both. Beyond two-factor authentication that everyone recommends, check which apps have access to your Instagram account in the settings and revoke the ones you're not using anymore - those are often where the holes are. Change your password from a computer, not your phone, because hackers might've installed something on it. And if you use Gmail for account recovery, make sure that's protected decently too, otherwise Instagram's security doesn't mean much.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet is account recovery: save your recovery email and the phone number linked to Instagram in a safe place like a password manager, because if you get hacked they could change those just to lock you out. Also, regularly check Settings > Login and Security to see which devices have access to your account and remove any you don't recognize; it's something people always forget to do but it's crucial, especially if your phone is also used for work and could be more exposed to risks.
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