One of the most well-known and frequently used social media sites is TikTok. It is a programme that lets users watch and share films from individuals they follow that are between fifteen seconds and three minutes long (like celebrities, friends and family members). Due to its popularity, hackers have sadly found it to be a simple target. In this essay, we’ll cover five typical TikTok security flaws and how to guard against them.
TikTok- What it is?
Similar to Instagram, which has more than one billion downloads on the Play Store and has emerged as one of the most widely used social media platforms today, TikTok is an app. Like Instagram, the TikTok app allows you to share your videos, follow friends, and browse millions of films.
You will be prompted for your preferred fashions the first time you use TikTok. You can choose from options like comedy, entertainment, talent, beauty, animals, education, and more. You can also let the app know what interests you and view videos that are linked to those interests. Here we can see the various methodologies of Hacking TikTok, by employing various techniques.
TikTok can be hacked, right?
To secure our accounts today, we must work more than we realise. You must save and secure sensitive account information and not make it accessible to anyone other than yourself if you want to boost security on the Internet. Moreover, keep an eye out for apps you download to your phone and incoming messages that contain links that send you to other websites.
One of the main goals of hackers and attackers is to hijack famous social media platforms like TikTok. Due to serious security flaws, hackers can remotely access any account on the well-known Chinese video-sharing app TikTok by only knowing the victim’s telephone number.
List out the hacking methodology of TikTok
1. Phishing Emails
There was a flaw in the TikTok messaging system from 2019 that allowed hackers to send users messages that appeared to be from TikTok by using a link (nytimes). Hackers have access to all accounts and could take over if users clicked the link.
2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross-site scripting is a “vulnerability that enables the unauthorised execution of JavaScript code on a website” (MalCare). Reflected and stored XSS are the two varieties. Reflected XSS is less dangerous because it “is a one-time attack, where the payload supplied in a reflected XSS attack is only valid on that one request” (ScienceDirect). Just the person who clicks on the malicious link will be directly impacted by this assault. Let’s look at a TikTok XSS attack illustration.
3. Zero-day vulnerability
Zero-day vulnerabilities are brand-new security issues that may be known to software vendors, but there is currently no patch available to correct them. So, this would make it possible for hackers to take advantage of the flaw. The data of all users may be exposed if hackers discover a weakness in TikTok (such as in the source code or database).
Defending Against Zero-Day Vulnerabilities
Although it is impossible to avoid zero-day vulnerabilities, you can take the following extra security measures to stop Hacking TikTok from accessing your TikTok account:
- Verify that you are utilising the most recent TikTok version.
- Switch on two-factor authentication
4. Make use of the HackTok App
This programme was developed to aid TikTok users in regaining control of their lost accounts. If none of the official TikTok account recovery procedures worked, they gave a technique to repair and access the password to utilise it. Today’s social media users frequently overlook how crucial it is to save an email address and login password when creating an account. After composing an email and creating an account, people frequently forget their passwords. Users can retrieve their passwords using the tool HackTok, which was created for this circumstance.
5. Weak Passwords
If the password is simple and widely used, like a nickname, phone number, partner’s name, or pet name, to mention a few, hackers can simply steal TikTok accounts by guessing the password. If the user’s password is a little more challenging to guess, the hacker could, of course, also use a brute force attack.
Defending Against Weak Passwords
- Users should choose a secure password made up of letters, digits, symbols, the space bar, and both lowercase and uppercase letters.
- Be aware that your TikTok password is different from the passwords for your other email addresses and social media accounts.
6. Remote Keyloggers
Because the hacker must first gain access to your device before installing a piece of software to record everything you type on your keyboard, remote keyloggers primarily impact our mobile devices or laptop. Every keystroke will be recorded if you enter into any personal accounts, including email, banking, Tiktok, and others. These details will be known to the hacker, who will then be able to access your account.
What You Can Do to Prevent Remote Keyloggers
- Avoid using third-party keyboard programmes.
- Avoid opening attachments and clicking links in email messages because the keylogger might be included in them.
- Install anti-spyware programmes to assist in finding, removing, and quarantining software-based keyboard loggers.
Wrapping Up
In general, it is advised that you exercise caution at all times, avoid clicking on any links that are provided to you, and only open URLs that begin with HTTPS and are not red in colour. Now that you are aware of various Hacking TikTok techniques, you can use them to take control of a TikTok account, but we advise against abusing them. As you have seen, it is far too simple for a hacker to access your account on TikTok, so you must take precautions to prevent this from happening.
