Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram :( What do I do?

[WPCentral Question]

Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram

Today, I have noticed that a picture (last picture from the photoroll) has been posted on my Instagram account. This is a reason to believe that my phone has been hacked.
I have changed Instagram password, the password of the email with which the Instagram was associated, and a few other security precautions.
But I think the most important is to protect my phone. Windows Phone 8.1 Update. Microsoft Lumia 535.
What do I do at this point?

 

[pankaj981]

Re: Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram

The OS is currently secure but the apps might not be. Check the apps installed on your phone and identify/uninstall the ones that are fishy.

 

[kblomkvist77]

Re: Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram

I do not think that I have any fishy apps. I have deleted Bliplar and online Dictionary. Everything else is either what I use or what was pre-installed (came with the phone).
The question is.... how do I protect my phone? How could someone have done it (the instagram posting on my behalf)?

 

[Malcolm Rodrigues]

Re: Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram

After reading your description, I think it's not your phone or your apps but your IG account itself (not the app), and since you've changed your password, you should be able to safely discard the problem. If it happens again you should contact support for help.

On a side note, are you sure no one else is using your phone?

 

[Harrie-S]

Can it also be possible that you by accident pushed "share" with instagram or something like that. And can you see which time it is posted.

 

[Jonnie LasVegas]

After reading your description, I think it's not your phone or your apps but your IG account itself (not the app), and since you've changed your password, you should be able to safely discard the problem. If it happens again you should contact support for help.

On a side note, are you sure no one else is using your phone?

This is utterly ridiculous. It is indeed a third party app you have installed or a user mistake you have committed. It's neither an OS problem, an app problem, nor an instagram account problem.

 

[kblomkvist77]

Re: Phone hacked. Someone posting pix from my phone on Instagram

Noone else is using my phone. It's always on me.
I did not press anything like 'share' by any mistake.
It was in my pocket (with locked screen, obviously) while I was biking, I am coming home and see that I got a few 'likes' on Instragram.
I checked what was 'liked' and it was the last picture I took with my phone which was posted on Instagram.
Nothing more nothing less, Jonnie LasVegas - yes it is utterly ridiculous.
Hopefully having changed the Instagram password has solved the problem.

 

[spitefulgod]

I think by default when your phone connects to WiFi it allows image downloads from the network. I know my images where nicked on the work network once.

 

[RumoredNow]

Let's think about this.

I'm an evil hacker. I do what no one else has managed to do. Break Windows Phone sandbox and remotely take control of phones. I now choose your phone and for my fist highly evil act I take one picture from your camera roll and upload it to your Instagram Account. What have I gained? Nothing. And now you are on your guard, changing passwords and enacting tighter security and scrutinizing your phone. And spreading the word so it makes it harder for me to hack again.

Far more likely that you forgot what you did or unintentionally did something to cause this post to Instagram manually or automatically. Occam's razor demands you examine your phone settings and App settings to find the culprit.

Did you snap the pic with Instagram? Have you looked at your Instagram details for any clue as to automated posting criteria? (I don't use Instagram, so I can't look at settings for you...)

If the title of this thread were: "Phone hacked. Someone used the banking app on my phone to transfer all my money out of my account What do I do?" That would sound more like what a hacker would try and accomplish.

I just can't figure any way that hack posting other people's pics to their own Instagram is worthwhile. As a test, you might say. But you'd test the control in such small ways on your own or a confederate's phone and save the outside hack for something destructive or profitable.

I understand you may be a bit emotional about what you perceive has happened. I'm just trying to inject a little bit of logic back into it.