Nearly 5 billion YouTube videos are watched every single day. The video streaming platform pulls in 1.8 billion users every month and is expected to continue surging in growth and popularity.
While you don’t need a YouTube account to view videos on the platform (unless they’re age-restricted), you do need an account to subscribe to channels, post comments, and create your own channel and upload videos.
Hackers often target YouTube accounts by using phishing attacks to try and obtain profile passwords. They can then get into an account and view bank data associated with a channel or business.
Preventing a hacked YouTube account only takes a few extra security measures. If you’re worried about your account, learn how to tell if it’s already been compromised and how to prevent another hack in the future.
How to Know if Your YouTube Account Was Hacked
The first sign that your YouTube account has been hacked is that you can no longer get into your account. Gmail accounts are required to log into YouTube, so if you notice a problem with your YouTube profile, you could have other accounts in danger as well.
Another sign to consider is this. If you upload videos to YouTube, you might notice that some have been deleted or altered. You might also notice uploaded videos that you didn’t add to your account. Look out for comments and replies you didn’t leave as well on other channels or videos.
There’s one place you can check to confirm if your YouTube account was hacked. Head over to your Gmail account and click on the “Details” link. From there, you’ll be able to see the past several login locations. If you don’t recognize any, your Gmail account has been hacked, which means they can access your YouTube profile as well.
How to Prevent a Hacked YouTube Account
Luckily, there are several steps you can take to protect your YouTube profile and videos.
- Use caution with links – Be careful clicking on links sent through your Gmail or left in comments on your videos. These can contain malware that can give away your credentials to a hacker.
- Fill out the Gmail recovery form – Google offers a recovery form for your accounts. You do have to give up some private information, like your phone number, but this is the best way to regain access to your account should you get locked out by a hacker.
- Practice safe password protocols – We’ve all heard it before, but using a strong password is key to preventing an attack on your YouTube account, or any other account for that matter. At the least, use a password that includes a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. You should also use the maximum number of characters to make it more difficult to crack your credentials. If possible, change your password frequently. If you’re having trouble keeping up with all your passwords, a password manager can be a big help.
The signs that show someone has hacked into your YouTube account can be obvious so as soon as you notice something suspicious, respond immediately. If you already have a hacked YouTube account, stick around for our next blog that will show you exactly what you need to do to recover it
This post is also available in: German