Montreal woman learns a lesson in cybersecurity after Instagram is hacked
For nine years, Amanda Polito's Instagram was a positive part of her day. Now, it's a source of stress and anxiety.
Polito's account was recently hacked. She says the scammer is now masquerading as her, even sending her taunting messages and offers to buy cryptocurrency.
But complaints to the social media platform have earned her no response at all, Polito told CTV News.
"I haven't got any help from Instagram," said Polito, who lives Montreal's Riviere-des-Prairies borough.
"She was feeling totally violated," added her mother, Caterina Polito, who likened the experience to a break-in.
"If you really were robbed once in your home, you know how scary that is, and it's pretty scary to think a stranger has access to all of your private pictures," she said.
AN EXPERT'S ADVICE
To prevent similar incidents, cybersecurity expert Terry Cutler says users need strong passwords and should vary them for every account.
His company Cyology Labs gets five to ten requests a week from clients who have been hacked, and even offers an online guide on recovery.
He says it's an experience that can happen to anybody.
"Let's say they register their email on a real estate website and they get hacked. Cyber-criminals get access to that data and sell it on the dark web, and start decoding passwords," he explained. "And if your password is weak, now they can start logging into bank accounts, Hotmail, Gmail, all these accounts that don't have two-step verification."
Two-step verification is when a six-digit code is sent to your phone so you can unlock your account. If you don't have this code, you can't have access.
Cutler advises tech users to go into their settings and make the change.
"It really take one minute and it'll save your digital life."
Amanda Polito did not have the two-step verification process set up on her Instagram when the account was broken into.
Her private life has been exposed, and she says she's afraid to check her messages.
"I still feel anxious when I go on Instagram," she said.
Many free platforms are flawed, Cutler adds, and don't always operate in the user's favour.
"If you're not paying for the product, you are the product."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
7 suspects, including 13-year-old, charged following 'violent' home invasion north of Toronto
Seven teenage suspects, including a 13-year-old, have been arrested following a targeted and “violent” home invasion in Vaughan on Friday, police say.
These vascular risks are strongly associated with severe stroke, researchers say
Many risk factors can lead to a stroke, but the magnitude of risk from some of these conditions or behaviours may have a stronger association with severe stroke compared with mild stroke, according to a new study.
Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules
A murder in China and a civil lawsuit in B.C. have been preventing the sale of multiple Vancouver homes, but one of them could soon hit the market after a court ruling.
Cher 'shocked' to discover her legal name when she applied to change it
Cher recalls a curious interlude from her rich and many-chaptered history in her new book 'Cher: The Memoir, Part One.'
Retiring? Here's how to switch from saving for your golden years to spending
The last paycheque from a decades-long career arrives next Friday and the nest egg you built during those working years will now turn into a main source of income. It can be a jarring switch from saving for retirement to spending in retirement.
After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles
After being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Donald Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the Project 2025 movement he temporarily shunned.
Lotto Max jackpot climbs to $80M, tying record for largest prize
The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history.
Canadian neurosurgeons seek six patients for Musk's Neuralink brain study
Canadian neurosurgeons in partnership with Elon Musk's Neuralink have regulatory approval to recruit six patients with paralysis willing to have a thousand electrode contacts in their brains.
Black bear killed in self-defence after attack on dog-walker in Maple Ridge, B.C.
A black bear has died following a brawl with a man on a trail in Maple Ridge, B.C.