Discord is a widely used social media platform, and it’s particularly popular with the gaming community. Users can make an account for free or pay to access extra features. While the platform is packed with security features, it’s not uncommon to see someone get hacked.
Getting hacked on Discord isn’t fun since your account can even be used to infect other accounts. You’ll see anything from phishing scams to fake Nitro offers, so you should be careful. If you’re hacked, please read on for the solutions.
What Should You Do When your Discord is Hacked?
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, and this principle also applies to Discord. There are ways to prevent getting hacked, but we recommend the following actions if you’re too late for preventative measures.
Inform Your friends
While it shouldn’t be the first thing you do, it’s best to inform any friends you added on Discord. You can tell them with other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook Messenger. An alternate Discord account can work well, too.
Once your friends know, they’ll be wary of a hacker using your hacked account for nefarious purposes. These include Discord scams and phishing attempts designed to help the hackers gain even more accounts for their evil purposes. Also, your friends can help report the hacked account so Discord can stop it from scamming.
Change Your Passwords
If you can change your password, please try to do that right away. You don’t want anyone else to access your account. The steps are as follows:
- Open Discord.
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Select My Account.
- Click on Edit next to your username.
- Pick Change Password.
- Enter your old and new passwords and click on DONE.
The process is similar on the mobile version, though it’s slightly simpler due to the more streamlined mobile experience.
Enable 2FA
Two-factor authentication can help prevent hackers from accessing your account as they will need another code to confirm they’re the account owner. While not foolproof, it deters lower-level hacks. You can enable 2FA this way:
- Open Discord on your device.
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Head to My Account.
- Select Enable Two Factor-Auth.
- Download either Google Authenticator or Authy.
- Submit a numerical code or scan a QR code.
- Once 2FA is enabled, you can download your backup codes.
2FA can also be enabled on Android or iOS, so you don’t need a PC for the task. However, if you’re completely locked out of your account, you should try these other solutions.
Report the Hack to Financial Institutions
If you linked a credit or debit card to your Discord account, there’s a chance that hackers can purchase Discord Nitro for themselves or their friends. Informing your bank about the hack can prevent the hackers from spending any money using your Discord account. Do this as soon as possible to stop any fraudulent charges.
Unlink Any Connected Services
Discord can be linked to other accounts, such as Twitter, Facebook, Steam, and more. Hackers can gain access to these accounts if you’re not careful, so it’s best to change the passwords on these other apps and services first. Then, unlink Discord from all of them to prevent the culprit from going further.
Performing these steps can minimize damage to your social media since you’ll need at least one way to tell your friends about the problem.
Send a Report to Discord
Discord users come in all types of personalities and temperaments. You may accidentally incur the wrath of one of them, who somehow has the means of hacking your account. If you believe another Discord user hacked you, click here and send a report to Discord.
Preventative Measures
It’s often too late when you realize your account was hacked. Therefore, we recommend following Discord’s advice and erecting a line of defense before anyone can hack your account. Making the job harder may save your account from cyberattacks.
Enable 2FA
As mentioned earlier, it’s always a good idea to enable 2FA because it deters lower-level hacking attempts. Some servers also demand users have it activated, so you can only talk or act in those places with it on.
Don’t Click on Anything Strange
There are many ways Discord accounts get hacked, and one of them is when someone clicks on a strange link. You can either get sent to a phishing website or download a file that steals information, and the latter can get much more information than your Discord account.
Only Download Files From People You Trust
This tip is connected to the one above it, as you should never download anything from strangers unless it’s from a trusted customer representative. Good friends can send you files that you may open, but if it’s a user you’ve never interacted with before, never download what they send you.
Never Share Personal Information With Strangers
Discord is an excellent way to meet new people and make friends, but you can’t trust everyone you meet online. While you may trust a select few, you should never share your personal information with people you just met.
Be Careful of Fake Discord Announcements
Discord doesn’t send announcements to your DMs, servers, or channels. The official statements will only appear through their official servers and channels. If the message seems suspicious and not from a trusted source, please ignore it and report it.
Use a Strong Password
Passwords shouldn’t be too simple, as brute force hacking attempts get through weak ones quicker. Consider using a random password generator and change your current password to a new and complex one. These are designed to prevent brute-force attacks since they’re too time-consuming to hack.
Consider Installing Antivirus Software
Antivirus software can help prevent malware from progressing further on your PC, potentially stealing information. The software can even work across platforms, including your smartphone.
Common Hacking Attempts
Getting messages like these tend to be hacking attempts. Here are some of the latest tricks:
- Testing a game out
If a friend or Discord acquaintance randomly sends you an offer to test a game, please don’t click it. It’s more than likely a scam that can get your information stolen. Contact your friend and ask if they genuinely have something you want to test.
- Free trials
Getting sent free trial offers is highly suspicious, especially if it’s from someone you don’t know. You can ask the sender if this is true or check if the trial exists. These are more often than not malicious messages, so exercise caution.
- Free giveaways
Unless you trust the person sending it, free giveaways are usually fake and have resulted in successful phishing attempts.
- Free in-game premium currency
It’s tempting to click these, but unless it’s someone you trust sending you a gift, don’t bother with the message.
The bottom line is if something appears too good to be true, users should avoid it.
Discord’s Hacking Problem
Discord has had a hacking problem for years. Even in 2022, many users find it difficult to recover their hacked accounts. Unfortunately, the Discord Support Team has earned a reputation in the community for being highly inefficient. There have even been problems with marking unsolved tickets as completed.
To compound the problem, 2FA can even be used against the account’s original owner. Even worse, hackers with skill can swap out your 2FA codes, and Discord itself doesn’t know them. Therefore, if your 2FA was changed, it becomes difficult to regain access to your Discord.
Some users have stated that it took weeks to resolve the situation, and Discord sometimes offered to eat its own words. For example, a user called Edward was tricked and had his account hacked. Edward was initially told Discord couldn’t disable 2FA, but suddenly, the company did so after more pressing.
It’s clear that Discord doesn’t work very well regarding account recovery. The only way you can escape getting hacked is to take preventative measures like never clicking on scam links. Until Discord decides to step up its customer support, users will have to stay diligent regarding preventative measures.
Practice Caution, Always
You can never be too careful when on Discord since hackers tend to target people on large servers. Even if you don’t hang out in those places, there’s still a risk. We recommend practicing caution no matter how you use Discord.
Do you know anyone who has been hacked? Have you managed to recover a compromised account? Let us know in the comments section below.
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