Has your Facebook account ever been hacked? Well, mine has. Around April last year, I noticed that someone had changed my password and strange messages were being sent from my account. This really infuriated some of my friends something which left me with an explanation to make. After thinking tirelessly on what might have caused the hack, I realized that a day before the hack, I had used another friend’s laptop to access my Facebook account and didn’t log out the session. After confronting my friend, she informed that she wanted to teach me a lesson and that next time, I needed to be more careful.
Now, sometime back, Facebook was quite irrelevant. Today, it’s the most popular social media network that’s being used by millions of people to socialize with their friends as well as make money through advertisements. Due to its popularity, Facebook has become increasingly prone to sabotage by potential hackers who either come to access crucial documents or for monetary gains through blackmail. The first thing I did when my Facebook account was hacked was to change my password, but was this really enough? Well, I guess not. Therefore, to secure your account from possible hacking, this article will highlight 25 ways on how to secure your Facebook account from hackers.
How to Secure Your Facebook Account From Hackers
1. Always log out after every session
This was the first mistake I did when my Facebook account was hacked. Leaving your Facebook account logged in is very dangerous as it allows hackers to access your private information easily. One thing most people don’t know about Facebook is that even after closing a session, your current session will continue to run for a while before it’s logged out entirely. Therefore, make sure that your Facebook account is logged out and that your phone number or email address is not displayed on the public device.
2. Consider secure browsing
Another way of securing your Facebook account from potential hacks is to keep an eye on the browser you’re surfing with. In most cases, it’s advisable to separate your browsers to stay on the safe side. Here, you can opt to use Google Chrome when planning to open Facebook or Twitter while leaving Firefox for other surfing needs.
3. Always update your browser
Still, on the browser, another way you can secure your Facebook account from potential hackers is to upgrade your primary browser regularly. The reason why browsers are upgraded is to fix any security loopholes that might lead to hacking. Remember technology is advancing and hackers are inventing more advanced ways of hacking your accounts.
4. Avoid weak passwords
There’s one major mistake most Facebook users make when creating passwords. Most people mistake strong passwords with long passwords. Now, to keep your Facebook account secure from any external threats, you need to create strong passwords that contain a mix of letters and numbers. With this, anyone thinking of hacking your account will have a tough time guessing or trying to generate your password. Although your password might be long, avoid using numbers or names which are easier to guess.
5. Update your passwords more often
This practice is very important and it doesn’t just apply to your Facebook account but to all of your accounts. Updating your passwords after every five to six months will help to strengthen your security. If you feel like this practice is overwhelming, you can consider using a password generator program from trusted sources.
6. Create a strategy
One major mistake most Facebook users make when creating passwords is using the same passwords for their emails and social media accounts. Always avoid this as much as possible by creating different passwords for your social media accounts and email accounts. Here, you can decide to create a similar password for Facebook and Twitter and another password for Gmail and Yahoo. In case your Facebook account is hacked, you will have the option of using your email account to create another password and secure your social media account.
7. Set App Passwords
In case you have apps that are associated with your Facebook account, you can consider activating login approvals to ensure that these apps don’t mess up with your account. In addition to that, ensure that you set up strong passwords for these apps. One such app is Skype.
8. Remove previous activities
Did you know that Facebook is able to reveal all your past sessions or activities? Well, this is one way through which hackers can easily access your information and retrieve crucial data or messages. To ensure that your account is safe at all times, consider ending all your past sessions which you feel are critical or less important.
9. Use two-way verification
Although this technique is quite tedious, it’s actually one of the best ways of securing your Facebook account from being hacked. Here, an authentication message is sent straight to your mobile or tablet device which you can use to login to your account. For each session, you will receive a unique code which you’re supposed to enter besides keying in your password. Two-way authentication has proved handy to most people as it will notify you when someone tries to access your account.
10. Use password managers
Remember we talked about creating strong passwords right? Sometimes, it might be difficult to remember these passwords as there are so many things we have to think about. To eliminate the stress, you can consider using password managers that will encrypt and store your passwords until the next time you require them.
11. Don’t click the “remember password” dialog box on public devices
This is one area where most Facebook users mess on. Public devices such as browsing in a cybercafé can really be a perfect alternative when you’re low on data. However, you should not save your passwords on these devices as you do not have any control over them. In fact, you should consider the incognito private window to browse to avoid anyone from tracking your activities when you’re already gone.
12. Avoid using suspicious computers
Another way you can secure your Facebook account from being hacked is by staying off from unsecured computers. You see, there are those computers that tend to record everything you save including passwords. What happens is that hackers use keystroke loggers to recover your password and access your accounts. If in any case you opt to browse using a computer you know nothing about, either use an incognito window or consider changing your password immediately you get back to your device.
13. Avoid spam links
Another way you can secure your Facebook account from hacking is by dodging spam links. You see, in the world of Facebook today, there are many opportunities such as jobs and money promotions. In case you click on these malicious links, there’s a high possibility that you may end up being redirected to fake websites which might steal your personal data or damage your computer with a virus.
14. Check security setups
It’s always a great idea to check your security setups to ensure that you know the type of people who’re able to view your staff such as friend requests, friends list, email address, and phone number. To do this, simply click settings then navigate to privacy.
15. Only log in using Facebook.com
Have you ever heard of cases where scammers create a fake Facebook page to resemble the original Facebook login page? Well, this issue has become increasingly common and has left most people wondering how their Facebook accounts got hacked. Always make sure that you check the Facebook page’s URL or simply type Facebook.com to ensure that you’re on the right track.
16. Use an up-to-date antivirus
Apart from web-based problems, there are other ways hackers can access your private information. One such way is by using malicious software which can peep into your computer via pop-up ads. To always stay on the safe side, consider scanning your computer regularly to get rid of any spyware, adware or malware.
17. Keep your password secure
One easy way of getting your Facebook account hacked is by sharing your password with friends. Sometimes things get nasty and you’ll never know who between your friends exposed you. Therefore, it’s wise to secure your passwords by logging out of any device or computer you’re using even if it’s yours to avoid friends from perusing through your data.
18. Avoid strange friend requests
Have you ever received a fake friend request? Well, I have myself. As a frequent Facebook user, I have received several friend requests from strangers some of whom are not from my nationality. To secure your account from getting hacked, avoid accepting such friend requests as most of them are sent by hackers.
19. Add a secondary email address
Although it’s advisable that you use a two-way-authentication, another important step of securing your Facebook account is by adding a secondary email ID. With a secondary email ID, you will be able to receive account recovery information in case your Facebook account is hacked.
20. Delete third-party connections
Third-party apps such as Skype can connect to your Facebook account without any problem. However, it’s highly recommended that you keep these apps to a minimum to avoid your account from being hacked.
21. Stay informed
Another way of securing your Facebook account from hackers is by staying up to date with the latest news and trends related to technology. For instance, you can consider watching news related to hacking and how hackers are using our own information to blackmail us.
22. Keep off from public networks
We all enjoy using public Wi-Fi right? Although these networks will save you money, it’s hard to control whoever is using the network on the other side. Therefore, to keep your Facebook secure, you need to turn off file sharing to ensure that hackers will not gain access to your accounts.
23. Deactivate your account
Are you planning on taking a break from Facebook? Well, the safest way to do this is by deactivating your account to ensure that it stays safe and free from hackers. This feature is also handy when you discover that your account has been hacked.
24. Secure your web browser
Another way of securing your web browser from possible hacks is by inspecting your web browser for plug-in and extensions. Plug-ins and extensions can really compromise your Facebook account and will need to be controlled by downloading secure browsers such as Google Chrome.
25. Create a strong email list
Finally, if you’ve followed all the above points, congratulations as your account will not be hacked. However, for those celebs out there, creating a strong email list is one way of securing your account from possible hacking.
Wrap up
One bonus tip to Facebookers, please don’t drink and surf. This is one way of exposing your account to wrong people who can post embarrassing updates on your timeline. On the other hand, we believe these 25 tips will really help to secure your account from potential hackers.