Facebook, as we all know, has become an efficient way to communicate and interact with friends and family and meet new people from different countries across the globe. It is probably one of the most important social platforms in the lives of some individuals.
About half of the world already knows about Facebook and the services it provides. It is rated as the number one social media networking giant.
Imagine losing contact with loved ones and friends all in the name of hackers gaining access to your account, taking charge, thus restricting you from accessing your account on Facebook.
Having your Facebook account hacked can be more than just humiliating: depending on what the hackers do, it can damage your reputation.
FB users used to make searches like; “How to protect the Facebook account from getting hacked?” How to secure Facebook security settings? How to secure my Facebook account and personal information from hackers? How to keep my Facebook account secure? How to prevent hacking How do I make my Facebook profile completely private? And so on.
The sad news is, a hacker can use several ways to get your account control through keylogging, phishing, or a simpler way, which is resetting your password.
So, in this tutorial I will be guiding you on how to secure your account from these hackers.
How to secure your account from hackers.
Step 1. Creating a Strong Password:
When signing up on Facebook, you’re required to have a minimum strong password that contains at least 8 characters.
The mistake most people make is creating a guessable password either derived from their birth date, pet names, or username. Some even use the simplest form, 12345678. Don’t be lazy in thinking your way through.
Here’s the tip:
A strong password should contain at least one of each of the following characters: lower-case letters, upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters (symbols).
Example: Password 1. Davinci
Password 2. Da99vinci@.
Now take a glance at the two passwords and see the difference. Which one do you think is stronger and more secure.
Advice: Ensure you change your Facebook password once every 6 months. This will enable a fresh restart on your default signed-in devices, making your account more secure.
Facebook Password
Step 2. Activate Two-factor verification.
Two-factor verification is one of the best measures to apply when it comes to securing your Facebook account.
Two-factor verification is a security measure that requires an extra code when you log in. When this feature is enabled, Facebook will require a code from your mobile phone during login. This code is created by the Code Generator tool in the Facebook app. You can also have it sent to your phone via SMS. Use this tool to help protect your account from unauthorized logins.
Activating Two-factor Verification:
- Install the Facebook app on your smartphone. Facebook uses a Code Generator tool in the Facebook app as a two-factor security measure. You’ll be prompted to open the Facebook app and enter the code from the Code Generator.
This only happens when you log into Facebook on an unknown computer. If you can’t use the Facebook app or Code Generator, Facebook will send your phone a text message with the code to input.
The quickest way to enable this is by accessing Facebook through your computer.
- Enter your login details and click on Log in
2. Open the Settings menu. Click the ▼ in the bar at the top of the page and select “Settings”
3. Click On “Settings”
4. Select the Security and Login option in the left menu. This will open the Security Settings page
5. Now You’ll see a list of security measures to choose from, this time, you select ” Use Two-factor Authentication”. click on Edit
6. Lastly. you’re required to click on “Get Started” and choose the method in which you’d want the authentication to be.
Step 3. Keep away from Untrusted Device.
It’s very good to ensure you are familiar with the device you sign in to. Most of the time, we sign in through a friend’s device and forget to sign out. The truth is, a friend might not be the bad person in the picture, but a friend has a friend. Do you get that?
So ensure you sign out after each login on a device that is not yours.
Advice: Whenever you’re using a device that isn’t yours to sign in, endeavor to use incognito mode on the browser so your credentials don’t get saved afterwards; If you signed in through the Facebook app, make sure to log out and remove your account from the device.
Step 4. Adding three to five trusted friends (for account recovery)
One of the precautions to take if you truly want to secure your account is to choose 3-5 friends that would assist you in the case of account loss or after getting hacked.
Your “Trusted Contacts” are friends that Facebook enables to securely help you if you ever have trouble accessing your account.
Steps to Nominate Friends:
- Login to your account
2. Open the Settings menu. Click the ▼ in the bar at the top of the page.
3. Select “Settings”
4. Select the Security and Login option in the left menu. This will open the Security Settings page.
5. Now select the first option and carefully select the trusted friends to help you if you get locked out.
Step 5. Updating your Mobile Number.
Updating and confirming your mobile number strengthens the bond between you and your account.
This helps you when you forget your account password; since Facebook will send you an OTP (One-Time Password) to your mobile number & you can reset your FB account password anytime you feel your account is being spied on.
How to Change Your Password
Go to; Account Setting
>> Personal information >>
Add a phone number.
Step 6. Removing your account from previously logged in devices.
Facebook shows all you previous logged-in & past active sessions.
To check out your last active sessions, where you logged in from, and what device you used to access your Facebook account; go to Account settings >> Security and login >> Where You’re Logged In >> active session >> Edit to remove session!
Step 7. Avoid Clicking Unsolicited links (sent via WhatsApp or Messenger):
Lately we all must have seen something like this on the internet.
Do not click on links sent to you via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger if you didn’t request that such a link be sent to you. Some of these links promise to gift you free airtime and mobile data, and require that you sign in using your Facebook username and password to redeem your prize. This is a plain scam. Don’t do it! Don’t even visit such links. In plain English, your password is saved to a text file in the website’s root from which your Facebook password and username can be easily accessed “unencrypted.”
