Facebook’s security practices changed for the better after its biggest data breach. If you haven’t heard already, hackers managed to steal 267 million user profiles. And, they did exactly what any other hacker would do - they sold the data on the Dark Web for other malicious actors to exploit.
To make the matters worse, this happened only a couple of days after the massive Zoom data breach which affected over half a million users.
This just shows how vulnerable your online accounts can be, including Facebook. Even though Facebook has implemented a better cybersecurity infrastructure, that doesn’t mean that your account is 100% safe.
Today, even newbie hackers can infiltrate your account. And if they have the means or the know-how, you can easily hack a Facebook account and expose someone's private messages.
But luckily, you can also prevent this from happening quite easily. In this article, we’ll go over some important tips that every digital user should implement.
Data has become more vulnerable than ever, with hundreds of hacking attempts happening every day. So, stay safe by following these tips below.
1. Use a Password Manager to Store and Create Passwords
Wondering how to prevent a Facebook hack easily? Just use a secure password. Simply put, password managers help you store and create unique passwords.
This means that you can choose to create very long and complex passwords that are not easy to hack. In addition, they also take away the burden of recalling passwords for all sites.
However, password managers can also help with:
- Generating new passwords for your accounts periodically
- Storing credit card information
- Multi-factor authorization
Ideally, long and complex passwords make it harder for hackers to brute force themselves into your Facebook account. And password managers can help you with that.
Luckily for you, if you’re a Chrome user, Google has implemented an automatic password generator that pops up every time you need to create a password. It will automatically generate a strong password and store it in the password manager. That way, you’ll always have a bulletproof password only one click away.
2. Hide Your Email Address from Your Friend List
For most people, an email address is a gateway to several other accounts apart from Facebook. This is especially true if you use the same password for all your accounts.
As such, it’s essential to hide your email address from public view as much as you can. And yes, that includes your Facebook friend list too.
To get started on hiding your email address on Facebook, this is what to do:
- While logged in to your Facebook account, click on your name/profile picture to access your profile.
- On the profile page, click the About tab.
- Select Contact and Basic Information from the left menu to see a list of your contact information.
- Click on the edit icon next to your email then set the Facebook Privacy Settings as Only me.
Doing that ensures that only you can see your email address. Since hackers can’t also see your email address, you’ll be much less of a target to them. People can do a lot of things only with your email, so make sure to keep it private.
3. Log Out of Old Devices
Unlike your banking app, Facebook always keeps you logged in once you log in. And this means that anyone who uses one of your old devices can gain access to your account.
Since they won’t be needing any password, it’ll be easy to collect all the information they need. But luckily, you can instruct Facebook to log you out of all active devices.
Below is what you should do to log out of old devices:
- If logged in, tap on the arrow on the top right part of your screen next to the notification bell then click Settings and Privacy.
- On the settings page, click Security and Login.
- Under the section Where You’re Logged In, you’ll see a list of all devices that have recently accessed your account.
- Click on the three dots beside any of your old devices and select Logout.
By logging out, anyone using your old device will need to login once more to access your account. You can therefore rest easy knowing that no one can access your Facebook account.
4. Enable a VPN When Using Public Wi-Fi
To many, VPNs are tools to use to unblock restricted web content. In schools, for instance, it is common for students to use VPNs to unblock sites like Facebook.
However, VPNs also add a layer of protection. And particularly when you’re using public Wi-Fi. So, is Facebook secure over public Wi-Fi? Not really, think again.
VPNs work by creating an encrypted tunnel between your device and Facebook. Therefore, anyone who tries intercepting your messages won’t be able to do so. By using a VPN, not only will you keep your identity hidden, but you’ll also protect yourself from various hacking attacks such as man-in-the-middle attacks or spoofing.
5. Learn How to Recognize Phishing Links
Most Facebook accounts today get hacked through phishing. But sadly, few people know what phishing is and how it works in the first place. The whole purpose of a phishing email is to create a fake account that will mimic a well-known company or a person.
Then, the hackers con the users into clicking various links that either contain malware, or will take them to a fake page where they’ll enter their login credentials. Then, the hackers will use this data for identity theft, blackmail, and a lot of other bad stuff.
Regardless, it’s still easy to spot a phishing email as well as its links. This is how:
- The e-mail sender doesn’t refer you by name
- Hover over links to see the true URL
- E-mail message content has spelling errors and typos
- The messages request sensitive information
Conclusion
In all honesty, staying vigilant is the best way of preventing your Facebook account from getting hacked. And that means you’ll need to instantly take action whenever you notice strange activity on your account. We hope that, through this article, you’ve learned how to secure a Facebook account from hackers.