Many people around the world use Discord to communicate and to share personal message with each other. For this reason, many Discord users wonder, can Discord get hacked? I answer this and more down below.

Can Discord Get Hacked?

Discord can indeed be hacked. A user should immediately inform Discord of suspicious activity on the platform or if they suspect their account has been hacked. If you suspect your account has been hacked you should change your password and then inform your friends about the hacking.

Entirely stopping hacking from occurring is impossible, as hackers continuously launch new attacks and campaigns. This then leads to the q

Is It Easy To Hack Discord?

It’s easy to hack Discord, but that doesn’t mean users are 100% unsafe there. While highly skilled hackers will always find their way in, Discord does its best to root out hacking activity. Discord encourages users to report security vulnerabilities and removes malware found in security scans.

According to Sophos IT Security Company, Discord provides hackers with a highly available and target-rich global distribution network. In other words, Discord is a good target for hackers.

Due to the highly social nature of the platform, Discord makes it an ideal place for hackers to spread malicious malware and code through social engineering. 

I have seen instances where a user’s Discord is hacked and then the hacker uses that hacked account to send messages to the user’s friends asking them to download something, usually some kind of game.

Since they are friends the user who receives the message thinks nothing of it and downloads whatever is sent to them, not knowing they are actually downloading malware onto their computer.

If a hacker is able to get into one account, they may be able to hack several others simply by taking advantage of the social nature of Discord.

Hackers are also experts at not getting caught, meaning for the majority of them, there are no consequences for their actions.

Now let’s dive into how these hackers hack Discord and what you can do to stop them.

How Do Hackers Hack Discord?

Hackers hack Discord primarily through malware—an umbrella term for any malicious software designed to damage or gain access to a computer system. They use the Discord platform to host and spread malware to other users’ accounts.

Hackers design malware to steal personal information, financial data, healthcare data, game credentials, cryptocurrency, and more.

According to McAfee, the types of information that hackers can gain access to have become endless.

Hackers spread malware through:

• Phishing 
• Malvertising
• Fake software installations
• Infected USB drives
• Infected apps
• Text messages
• Bait and Switch

In a recent investigation by Sophos security, significant amounts of malware were found in Discord’s content delivery network and interacting with Discord’s APIs.

Almost 17,000 malware URLs were found at the time the investigation was done.

Hackers have ways in which they gain access to your login information as well. According to NordVPN, hackers have databases of typically used passwords to attempt to break into your account using a bot. 

And like I mentioned earlier, once they have access to one account they are easily able to trick the user’s friends to click on and download malware onto their device.

Although all this hacking stuff sounds awful, don’t be too alarmed. There things you can do as a Discord user to prevent someone from hacking your account.

How To Prevent Discord From Getting Hacked

• Never click on unfamiliar links or downloads. Links from hackers will attempt to seem official. Don’t skim over links, but read closely for anything strange, such as odd domains, URLs, or misspelled words. Don’t click on the link if you’re not 100% sure that it can be trusted.
• Trust official Discord announcements only. Discord only makes announcements through their official servers and channels—any notifications from another server or channel pretending to be Discord is a scam.
• Use 2FA (two-factor authentication). 2FA will require another form of identification when logging into your account besides your password, strengthening your protection against hackers.

• Activate antivirus and firewall. Software like these establish a barrier between your account and any untrusted activity. Try the NortonLifeLock Norton 360 Deluxe Antivirus (available on Amazon.com). You can install it on up to 5 devices. Plus, it has a built-in password manager.
• Make sure your password is unique. Make sure your password is not generic. You may consider using a password manager. It’ll do the work of creating complicated passwords for all of your accounts and storing them safely.
• Don’t share your login info with anyone. Often times a hacker is able to access an account because a user carelessly shared their login info with another user or entered it into a shady site. Just be careful where you share your info.
• Learn how to recognize phishing attacks. Phishing is a popular mode of attack among hackers. Common phishing techniques among hackers are clickable links, random messages and fake emails.

When phishing, hackers lure potential victims with upbeat messages that get them to click on malicious links. They do this by disguising their malware as:

• Useful gaming tools
• Free gaming currency
• Free trials
• Free giveaways
• Testing out a new game that’s still in development

Any offer that seems a little too good to be true shouldn’t be trusted.

But even if you take every precaution, unfortunately there is still a chance that your account gets hacked. If your account gets hacked, don’t panic. Follow the tips below to recover your account or lessen the blow of a hack.

What To Do If Your Discord Gets Hacked?

• Change your password. Discord recommends a long password with a mix of upper case letters, lower case letters and special characters. When you change your password, the hacker should no longer be able to access your account.

• Report the incident to any linked financial accounts. Hackers may be able to gain access to your finances and steal your information. Make sure your financial institutions know your account has been hacked so that they can help prevent any unwanted charges.
• Let your friends know. Make sure your friends know your account has been hacked. That way they are cautious of anything being sent from your account such as messages with links in them.
• Scan your device with anti-malware software. Malwarebytes Cybersecurity Software (available on Amazon.com) is an ideal choice to get rid of any potential malware on your device. It’s anti-malware, anti-ransomware, and anti-exploit which helps prevent your device from any malicious activity in the future.
• Unlink all services associated with your hacked account. If you log into any other accounts using your Discord account, unlink and change the passwords of all those accounts before linking them again.
• Send a report to Discord’s trust and safety page. Do this if you believe your account has been hacked or compromised by another Discord user. You can access that page here.

Doing the things listed above will help to mitigate the damage done by a hacker hacking into your account.

But it is always better to be proactive rather than reactive. So I recommend doing things to prevent anyone from ever hacking your account and then you won’t have to worry as much about what to do if your account is hacked.

Sources

• McAfee: What is malware and why do cybercriminals use malware?
• Sophos News: Malware increasingly targets Discord for abuse
• Swipe Tips: How to Get a Hacked Discord Account Back

• NordVPN: Online gaming: How to stay safe from hackers
• Discord: Tips Against Spam and Hacking