Your Cyber
Self-Care
Toolkit.
Free, plain-English guides to outsmart scammers, rescue hacked accounts, and protect everything you've built ✦
✦ quick self-care tips ✦
Your selfcare routine
5 tips for making sure your online self is squeaky clean: easy, effective, and actually cute.
Cleanse Your Passwords
“Wash away your dull passwords”
We are all complicated and unique, and our passwords should reflect that. Long, messy, full of symbols. Think of it like your skincare routine: the more steps, the better protected you are.
It's Time for a Makeover
“Out with the old, in with the new… version”
That update you've been avoiding? It's basically your apps asking for a fresh start. Outdated software = open doors for hackers. Keep everything updated and stay ahead of vulnerabilities.
Some Things Are For Your Eyes Only
“Keep it between you and your mirror”
Not everything needs to be posted, clicked, or shared. The more you put out there, the more you become a target. Before you post, ask yourself if you'd be okay with a stranger seeing it.
Encryption Is the New Sunscreen
“Always use protection… on your data”
Just like SPF protects your skin, encryption protects your data. Back up regularly, encrypt sensitive files, and let us help you figure out what needs covering, because prevention beats recovery every time.
Immunity Boost for Your Laptop
“Ward away the bad online germs”
We all try to stay healthy. Let's keep our online selves healthy too. Antivirus software wards off nasty online germs, and we're here to help you set it up, maintain it, and make sure it's actually working.
The Essentials
How do I recover a hacked Instagram account?
A creator's step-by-step plan to get a hacked Instagram account back: what to do in the first hour, the exact forms to file, and how to lock down everything attached to it.
How do I recover a hacked TikTok account?
What to do when you lose access to your TikTok: the exact in-app report path, how to verify ownership, and how to keep the attacker from coming back.
How do I recover a hacked YouTube channel?
YouTube channels live inside your Google account. Here's how to recover both, report a hijack, and undo crypto-livestream takeovers creators are targeted with.
How do I turn on 2FA for Instagram?
Two-factor authentication is the single biggest thing standing between a creator and an account takeover. Here's the exact path to switch it on the right way.
Someone is impersonating me on Instagram. What do I do?
Impersonator accounts scam your followers and damage your brand. Here's how to report one, get it removed, and warn your audience fast.
Get Your Accounts Back
Locked out or hacked? Step-by-step recovery plans that actually work.
How do I recover a hacked Instagram account?
A creator's step-by-step plan to get a hacked Instagram account back: what to do in the first hour, the exact forms to file, and how to lock down everything attached to it.
How do I recover a hacked TikTok account?
What to do when you lose access to your TikTok: the exact in-app report path, how to verify ownership, and how to keep the attacker from coming back.
How do I recover a hacked YouTube channel?
YouTube channels live inside your Google account. Here's how to recover both, report a hijack, and undo crypto-livestream takeovers creators are targeted with.
How do I get my hacked Facebook account back?
Facebook is often the key to your Instagram and ad accounts. Here's how to recover it and stop a takeover from spreading across Meta.
What if I lost access to my 2FA codes?
Losing your authenticator device feels like being locked out for good, but backup codes and recovery flows usually get you back in. Here's the order to try them.
How do I recover a hacked email account?
Email is the master key to every other account you own. If it's compromised, recover it first. Here's how, plus the hidden settings attackers leave behind.
Two-Factor Authentication
Turn on the single best protection against account takeover.
How do I turn on 2FA for Instagram?
Two-factor authentication is the single biggest thing standing between a creator and an account takeover. Here's the exact path to switch it on the right way.
How do I turn on 2FA for TikTok?
TikTok calls it two-step verification. Here's where to find it, which method to pick, and how to protect a Creator or business account.
How do I set up 2FA for YouTube and Google?
Because YouTube lives inside Google, you secure your channel by securing your Google account. Passkeys and security keys are the gold standard here.
Is an authenticator app safer than SMS codes?
SMS 2FA is better than nothing, but it has a real weakness: SIM swaps. Here's why an authenticator app or passkey is the safer choice.
What are 2FA backup codes and how do I save them?
Backup codes are the safety net that keeps a lost phone from becoming a permanent lockout. Here's how to find and store them properly.
Spot the Scams
Fake brand deals, phishing, and copycat accounts: catch them before they cost you.
Someone is impersonating me on Instagram. What do I do?
Impersonator accounts scam your followers and damage your brand. Here's how to report one, get it removed, and warn your audience fast.
How do I report and remove a fake account?
Every platform handles fake-account takedowns differently. Here's the report path for each, plus the evidence that gets clones removed faster.
How do I spot a fake brand-deal email?
Fake sponsorship offers are the leading way creators get hacked, often through a “media kit” or “contract” file that's actually malware. Here's how to spot them.
Is this copyright-strike DM a scam?
“Your account violated copyright. Appeal within 24 hours” is a classic scare scam. Here's how to tell a fake strike from a real platform notice.
How do scammers use my account for crypto giveaways?
Hijacked YouTube and Instagram accounts get rebranded into fake crypto giveaways that scam your audience. Here's the playbook to recover and prevent it.
Lock It All Down
Every account, app, and login a creator depends on, secured.
How do I lock down my Instagram account?
A run-through of every Instagram security setting that matters for creators. Do these once and you've closed the doors most takeovers walk through.
How do I lock down my TikTok account?
The TikTok settings every creator should set once: two-step verification, device cleanup, and the right safeguards for a monetized account.
How do I remove apps connected to my accounts?
Every analytics tool, scheduler, and giveaway app you ever connected still has a key to your account. Here's how to find and revoke the ones you don't use.
How do I secure the email behind my accounts?
Your email controls password resets for everything else, which makes it the most important account you own. Here's how to make it the hardest to crack.
How do I safely share account access with my team?
As you grow, editors, managers, and VAs need access, but a shared password in old DMs is a breach waiting to happen. Here's the safe way to delegate.
What is session-token theft and how do I stop it?
The scary part of modern creator hacks: attackers don't need your password or 2FA. They steal your session cookie. Here's how that works and how to stop it.
How do I protect my Meta Business Suite from takeover?
Your Meta Business Suite controls Pages, Instagram, and ad budgets, and attackers love it for running fraudulent ads. Here's how to lock it down.
Password Security
Unique passwords, password managers, and passkeys made simple.
What's the best password manager for creators?
A password manager is the foundation of creator security. It makes unique passwords effortless and lets you share logins with a team without handing over the keys.
How do I create a strong password?
Strong passwords aren't about cramming in symbols. They're about length and uniqueness. Here's the method that actually works.
Why is reusing passwords dangerous?
One reused password is the most common reason creators get hacked. Here's the attack behind it, credential stuffing, and how to break the habit.
What are passkeys and should creators use them?
Passkeys are the password's replacement: phishing-resistant, nothing to type, nothing to leak. Here's what they are and where to start.
Your Digital Footprint
Keep your home address, personal info, and private life off the internet.
How do I remove my home address from the internet?
Your home address is more exposed than you think: through data brokers, old domain records, and tagged posts. Here's how to find and scrub it.
How do I get my info off data-broker sites?
Data brokers quietly package and sell your personal details. Here's how their opt-outs work, why your info keeps coming back, and how to stay ahead of it.
How do I protect myself from doxxing?
Doxxing, publishing your private details to harass you, is a real risk for visible creators. Here's how to shrink your exposure and respond if it happens.
How do I stay secure on public Wi-Fi while traveling?
Airport, hotel, and cafe Wi-Fi are convenient and risky. Here's how creators stay safe online while traveling and shooting on the road.
What is dark web monitoring and do I need it?
Dark web monitoring watches breach data and leak markets for your details, so you can react before a takeover. Here's how it works and who needs it.
Creator security FAQ
- It's a free, plain-English library of security how-to guides built for content creators, covering hacked-account recovery, two-factor authentication, scam-spotting, account protection, and privacy. Each guide gives you direct, step-by-step answers without enterprise jargon.
- The two most common ways are reused passwords (one breach unlocks many accounts via credential stuffing) and session-token theft from malware hidden in fake brand-deal files, which bypasses passwords and 2FA. Unique passwords, cautious link-clicking, and passkeys address both.
- 2FA stops the most common attack, logging in with a stolen password, but it doesn't stop session-token theft, where malware reuses your already-logged-in session. Pair 2FA with a password manager, careful file handling, and ideally a passkey for the strongest protection.
- Yes. Beyond these free guides, Locket Security offers hands-on account-recovery and protection plans for creators. Start with the relevant recovery guide here, and reach out at hello@locketsecurity.com if you need direct help.
New to the terms? Browse the creator security glossary →
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