In a bid to fend off hackers, Instagram turns to multi-factor verification

Instagram is perhaps the fastest growing photo sharing app in town, thanks to the diverse filters in it that make your dull photos rather vibrant when applied with Amaro or Hudson, take your pick.

So it only makes sense to finally secure the accounts of the more than 400 million active users now sharing their moments to friends through the app. Instagram has just implemented the two-factor authentication in the photo sharing service in keeping with the security fad that has found wide adoption among tech companies post Snowden.

The security tool is in a gradual rollout, which means you might see the additional lock to your Instagram account in the near future, if you have not received it yet. With the multi-factor verification, Instagram users will be asked to verify their identity through a phone number.

When you Instagram account is accessed using a different computer, a verification code will be sent to your mobile number intended as an additional layer of security before your account can be accessed. It is a great way of protecting your account from hackers who would sometimes breach into your cyber accounts using brute-force techniques.

It would also prevent unauthorized access by someone who might know your username and password. The multi-factor verification process would also block those who have stolen your login credentials from gaining access to your Instagram account.

There are various methods for stealing login details, not only for Instagram accounts but including other Web services, such as phishing campaigns or the methods of scammers.

Although Instagram’s transition to two-factor authentication is long past due, it provides tremendous help to the millions of users constantly targeted by attackers whose goal is to sell personal data on the black market. Facebook, now the owner of Instagram, has long implemented this security protocol, so it is unclear why it took some while before it was rolled out to Instagram despite the many risks Instagram users had been facing.

Losing your Instagram account to hackers poses a great threat to your social interaction because your account can then be used to spread annoying or spam photos that might change your friends’ perception of you now that Instagram has grown to become a social networking app as well.

Business users, for example, stand to lose their credibility once an attacker gains access to their Instagram account. Worse, they might lose opportunities for future business ties. That makes the adoption of multi-factor authentication for Instagram still a welcome development despite the delay.