How To Tell If Your Discord Account Is Hacked

Hacking is everywhere. From nation states trying to steal each other’s secrets to industrial espionage all the way to individual users. With hacking tools being cheap and easy to use, anyone with an internet connection can become a hacker. Their prime target is email and cloud applications such as Outlook, Gmail and Discord. So how can you tell if your Discord account has been hacked?

Every cloud application is susceptible to hacking as it’s often just someone messing around wanting to create mischief. Discord is an unlikely target but when a lot of fun could be had using someone else’s Discord account to prank the victim’s friends or any servers they are a member of, you can see why someone might do it. But what are the signs?

Has your Discord account been hacked?

There are a few signs that an account has been hacked. None are definitive on their own but if you see a couple of them, it might be time to change that password. If you’re a casual Discord user, the impact isn’t going to be that great but if you run servers or spend a lot of time in a community, the impact could be a lot more serious.

Signs your Discord account has been hacked include:

Repeated OTC (One Time Codes) being sent to your phone

If you have two-factor authentication enabled on Discord, and you should, you will receive repeated codes sent to your device as the hacker tries to gain access. It is for this reason that 2FA is worth using, as without the code the application won’t authenticate the new user.

While 2FA is not perfect, it’s a big step forward for most online accounts. Without that second factor, the SMS code, the hacker cannot access Discord. If they do find a way around it, they won’t be able to use Discord for long.

Strange happenings in your Discord transaction history

Depending on the hacker’s motivation, you may find they just want to cause chaos. If you suspect your Discord account has been hacked, check your user settings and Billing. If they know about this section, you may find some transactions for Nitro or other special offers in there that you didn’t authorize.

If you don’t have a payment method linked to Discord you should be fine but if you do, check here quickly!

Strange messages from people you don’t know

I have seen this happen first hand. A gaming clan buddy of mine came over for a WoW session many years ago and we began seeing strange messages in Discord DM supposedly from the guy who was sitting next to me. The same person then began using general chat. They were saying dumb stuff, swearing, calling us all names and generally being an idiot. As they were using my buddy’s username, he was suffering the results until we kicked and banned the hacker from Discord and I explained everything to the clan.

If you see strange messages from people saying you spoke to them when you know you didn’t, this might be why!

Keeping your Discord account safe

Prevention is better than cure, especially in security. Preventing a hack is the name of the game and I’ll share a few tips for doing just that.

Use two-factor authentication

You may think two-factor authentication is a pain but it’s there to protect you. If your password is cracked by someone, that SMS code is your last line of defense against having someone else use your account. Use 2FA on every account that allows it. That will mean an extra step before logging in but it goes a long way to protecting your account.

Use strong passwords or phrases

Try to use as complicated a password as you can or better still, a non-dictionary word of passphrase. I tend to recommend a passphrase like the name of a book, movie, album or something else. Something made up of several words you may not necessarily put together or find in a dictionary. The less mainstream you can make it, the more secure it will be.

Use antivirus and firewall

Hackers will usually get in using keyloggers or malware. Keeping your system as clean as possible is a way to avoid being hacked. These aren’t the only attack vectors hackers use but they are popular ones. Make sure your antivirus and firewall is set to automatically scan and update and you can avoid many hack attempts.

Those are the main ways I know of to tell if your Discord account has been hacked. Also a couple of practical ways to protect your accounts. If you know of any others, tell us about them below!