Have you ever stopped to think about how much personal data you enter online, specifically on social media?
You’ll have given them your real name, email address, and phone number.
In addition, there will be plenty of personal information about you, your likes, hobbies, and even your friends and family.
Just by looking at your social media account people can get a good idea about you as a person.
Of course, with a little hacking, they can also find out other details, such as your address and financial details.
That can lead to cyber criminals taking your funds or even stealing your identity.
It’s currently estimated that 4.62 billion people are using social media.
That’s over half the people in the world. It’s not surprising that cybercrimes and account hacking are increasing.
You need to read these social media hacking statistics for 2025 to truly appreciate the scale of the problem.
Key Statistics
- 37% of Americans have suffered from social media hacking
- 30,000 websites are attacked daily
- A ransomware attack happens every 14 seconds
- 1.4 billion accounts are hacked per month on social media platforms
- Social media cyber crimes account for $3.25 billion per year
- 53% of hacking incidents on Facebook target credit card details
- 26% of social media hacking victims have been victims before
- The amount of social media hacking has increased by 1,000% in the last 12 months
- 27% of social media account hacks cost the user money in lost revenue
Detailed Social Media Hacking Statistics in 2025
1. 37% Of Americans Have Suffered From Social Media Hacking
You hear about data breaches in the news, but these only cover the big issues.
The truth is 37%, that’s nearly two out of every five people, have experienced social media hacking.
All that differs is the extent of the hacking.
The biggest risk appears to be Facebook, 77% of people surveyed said their Facebook account had been attacked.
In contrast, only 23% of respondents were hacked while using TikTok.
twenty-four percent of YouTube and Twitter users also experienced a hacking incident.
It is not surprising that people are most concerned about Facebook and its security level.
(NordVPN)
2. 30,000 Websites Are Attacked Daily
Attacking is not the same as successfully hacking, although it is the precursor and the attacker is hoping for hacking access.
Once a site has been hacked the hacker gains access to all the information within the account.
For instance, if they get into your social media account they can see all your friends, hobbies, and even your personal photos.
Experiencing a hacked website means you’ll feel frustrated and lose control of your site. It’s quite possible to lose all your data.
Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, website owners and social media account holders need to outmatch all technological advances.
Don’t forget, an attack doesn’t mean you will get hacked but half of all data breaches are a direct result of hacking.
Think about that while preparing your website or social media account to defend itself.
(Web Arx Security)
3. A Ransomware Attack Happens Every 14 Seconds
Statistics collated by the Cyber defense Magazine illustrate the terrifying increase in ransomware attacks.
There were approximately 350% more in the last 12 months than in the 12 months before that.
This trend appears likely to continue.
Not all hacking attempts work, yet the sheer volume of attacks allows one successful attack to occur every 136.275 seconds.
That’s both impressive and concerning. Ransomware attacks are often conducted via phishing emails.
Unfortunately, research shows that managers and staff have a poor level of security when it comes to emails.
A recent survey showed that 90% of recipients opened emails and links, even though they didn’t recognize the sender.
This is the easiest way for a hacker to install malware and then take control of your system.
(Cyber Defense Magazine)
4. Social Media Cyber Crimes Account for $3.25 Billion
Having a social media account hacked may seem like a simple inconvenience. Unfortunately, it’s often much more than that.
Anyone using their social media account to locate potential customers and interact with existing ones will suffer financially if their account is hacked.
It’s worse if you accept money through the hacked account.
In either case you will lose sales. The hack will also damage your reputation, potentially costing you future sales as consumers will look at what other sellers have to offer.
Statistics for 2020 show that cyber crimes and hacking were responsible for $3.25 billion in revenue for cybercriminals.
That’s revenue that companies and social media users should have received.
This highlights the need to increase security and improve your understanding of security measures and cybercrimes.
(The SSL Store)
5. 53% Of Hacking Incidents On Facebook Target Credit Card Details
One of the most worrying trends for social media users is the amount of credit card details stolen.
It’s estimated that 53% of hacking attacks which are successful on social media accounts target credit card details.
These are then used to make clone cards which can be used to purchase items, that’s things online and offline, potentially putting you in a great deal of debt.
Alongside this, hackers can remove all the personal information from your account, which makes it easy for them to steal your identity, giving you a financial headache, or more accurately, a financial nightmare.
(The SSL Store)
6. 26% Of Social Media Hacking Victims Have Been A Victim Before
The ITRC discovered that 26% of social media hacking victims have been victims before, this was an improvement as the previous year had 29% of victims having a repeat experience.
The decline has been attributed to increased awareness. Get hacked once and you pay more attention in the future.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to everyone as 26% of victims become repeat victims.
That means they need to take cyber security more seriously.
ITRC also postulated that victims often feel ashamed of being duped by cybercriminals and may not report the issue.
This could lead to figures showing a decline when the number of cases has actually increased.
In either scenario, 26% of social media hack victims have been victims before. That’s something which needs to be improved.
(ITRC)
7. Amount Of Social Media Hacking has Increased By 1,000% In The Last 12 Months
A recent study has shown that social media attacks have increased dramatically in the last 12 months.
Perhaps most significant was the finding that hackers taking over social media accounts has increased by 1,000%.
Interestingly; 85% of the hacks were related to Instagram. The other 25% were Facebook related.
The embarrassment and frustration of someone posting untruths on your account is one thing, as is people accessing private areas of your account.
However, for an impressive 70% of hack victims, the bigger issue was never being able to get back into their account.
It’s worth noting that 71% of the social media hacks were performed after the hackers contacted friends of the account, who inadvertently compromised it.
(Identity Theft Resource Center)
8. 27% of Social Media Account Hacks Cost the User Money in Lost Revenue
For many people, social media is more than just a platform to communicate with others.
It’s a space where you can sell your services, products, or even use affiliate links to generate sales.
In 27% of cases, hacking a social media account lost the owner a substantial amount of funds.
This is in lost sales and in lost future business. Customers tend to be more wary when they know your social media accounts have been hacked.
(Identity Theft Resource Center)
How To Protect Your Social Media Accounts
It is better to take action now and prevent your social media accounts from being hacked, rather than deal with the aftermath of an attack.
That means you need to think about cybersecurity:
Upgrade Your Password
If you have an easy password then you’re making life easy for hackers. Start by changing your password. It should be at least 12 characters long.
The password should have lowercase and uppercase letters, along with special characters and numbers.
It should also be random, in no way connected to you personally. This will make it much harder to hack and remember.
You should use a password manager to store your passwords and even generate them for you.
Dual-Factor Authentication
Most social media sites offer dual-factor authentication. It’s when you can’t complete the logging-in process until you add a code which is sent to your personal device.
This level of security is currently impossible to hack.
Of course, that could change…
Never Use Public Wi-Fi
If you use a public Wi-Fi network you’re allowing anyone to backtrace the connection and look at what information is on your device.
They can instantly get enough information to hack your account and cause you serious issues.
In addition, they can steal your personal information, allowing them to take your identity.
Monitor Account Access
If you allow other people to access your social media account, such as a friend or a work colleague (to help with a work social media account), then monitor them and their access regularly.
A hacker can find their way into your account through a trusted source. Check the login times and dates to ensure this hasn’t happened.
Email Address Only For Social Media
To help keep a hacker away from your personal information use a separate email address for your social media accounts.
This, along with minimizing the amount of personal data you keep on the account, will help to ensure damage is avoided, even if your account is hacked.
Make sure you think about what information you are posting online. Are the personal details really necessary?
Social Media Hacking FAQs
You probably have an array of questions that need to be answered. Some may have been covered by the above statistics.
The following are the most common ones asked:
Which Social Media Platforms Are Hacked The Most Often?
Unsurprisingly, Facebook tops the bill with 32% of hacks. TikTok comes a close second with 26%.
YouTube comes close to the bottom of the list with just 18%.
Facebook has the most members, the reality is all social media accounts are at risk of hacking and you need to take steps to protect them.
Why Do Cybercriminals Target Social Media Accounts?
Billions of people use social media sites to share their news and communicate with family and friends.
Yet, dispute this, most social media operators don’t offer standard security functions, such as single sign-on or even automated user creation through a set standard.
These standards are used by most industries and reduce the number of successful attacks.
The fact that social media doesn’t use this level of security makes it easier for cybercriminals. Hence, they are targeted.
Does Anyone Ever Pay the Ransom Demand?
The short answer is yes. You may be able to cope with shutting your social media account down.
However, if it is business-related, doing so could destroy your business. That’s a business which has probably taken a lot of time and hard work to build.
Sometimes paying the demand is the only option. This was true for the local government in Jackson County, Georgia.
They had to pay $400,000 to regain control of their computers.
Is There Anyway To Avoid Being Hacked?
The only way to ensure your social media account is never hacked is to shut it down. That defeats the point of social media.
Instead, you need to be vigilant and follow the techniques described earlier to keep your social media account safe.
The harder you make it for hackers the more likely they are to target someone else.
There are always easier pickings.
Summing Up
A lot of people don’t take social media hacking seriously until they experience it themselves.
However, you can take a look at the social media hacking statistics and see there is a significant issue.
This will help convince you to take action today and protect your social media accounts.
While it is tempting to believe it will never happen to you, it can and could. Protect yourself before that happens.
Don’t forget, if you notice your accounts have been hacked, react as quickly as possible. This will minimize the damage, your data loss, and any inconvenience.
The above statistics are shocking and studies suggest the problem is going to get worse as the number of internet users increases, along with our reliance on the world wide web.