Secure Your Facebook Account

There are a few ways to help make your Facebook account secure, before you read this make sure you have a secure Password, don't make your password too personal but make it something that you'll remember.

Steps

  1. Log in to Facebook. Type in your username (or email ID) and your password. Never check the box "Keep me logged in." If you do so, it will increase the chances of people hacking into your accounts.
    • You can check the 'Keep me logged in' box on your own personal computer only (if no one else uses it).
  2. Never share your password. There have been times when Facebook users share their passwords with other Facebook users, which leads to account hacking. If you share your password with your friends, they might as well log into and mess with your account, which can land you in serious trouble, so you should avoid sharing your password.

  3. Never log into your Facebook account when out at a public place. However, if you think your friends are trustworthy (or your cyber cafe is trustworthy) when at the place you're out at, you can log in at a public place. However, you could land in serious trouble if you don't.
    • When you open up your account in a friend's computer or from cyber cafe, never click on 'Keep me logged in' as well. This applies to every other account you have on the Internet including your Gmail and Spotify accounts.
    • Your friends may have installed the Facebook Password Decryptor software, which stores all your Facebook login information. So, you should be aware of this software because your friend (or the cyber cafe) is not going to tell you that he or she has installed this software.
    • Always have a very strong password that no one can guess. The password can be very long.
    • Just a long password can't make your account secure either. Hackers use a technique called 'dictionary attack' where they use each and every word of the English alphabet in the password box to open up your account. You are always welcomed to use numbers, lower and uppercase characters, symbols (!@#$%^&) to make your password invulnerable to such types of attacks.
    • Use a password strength software from websites like www.passwordmeter.com/ to check how strong your password is.‎
    • Be sure to change your Facebook password once every 2-3 months. If someone knows your password, he/she can't access your account after some time.
    • These are the common mistakes which people often make. Never use passwords similar to your Facebook password. These passwords include: password, password123, <your name>, <your boyfriend's/ girlfriend's name>, and <your pet name>. If your friends try to access your Facebook account, they'll try these passwords at first.
    • Never use the same passwords on multiple sites. For example, use three different passwords for your Facebook, Twitter and Google accounts. The reason for keeping multiple passwords on multiple sites is because, for if someone has hacked one of your accounts, he/she can hack another account using the same password.
  4. Never allow a third party app to gain access to your personal information, especially if it's not trustworthy. These apps will have rights to post anything on your behalf, which can make it dangerous if you want a secured Facebook account. Always use third party apps that are good and have a very good reputation on Facebook.
  5. Personalize your privacy settings. This step is the major factor to securing your Facebook account.
    • Go to Settings > Security. On the top you'll see an option called 'Secure browsing'. You need to edit this option and check the box 'Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) when possible.' This will also make your Facebook account secure.
    • Go to Settings > Security. On the second option you'll see 'Login Notifications.' Edit this option and check the boxes for both of the options that are available there. The feature of this, is that whenever you login from someone's computer, you'll receive a message that someone has accessed your Facebook account. If you know that it's you, it's OK, but, if you get a message that someone has accessed your account, you know that someone has accessed your account. This feature even shows the browser name, computer operating system and the time to make your investigation more easier.
    • Go to the third option in Settings > Security. It should say 'Login approvals'. Just click on "Edit" and check the 'Require a security code to access my account from unknown browsers' box. A pop up box that reads 'Login Approvals is an extra layer of security that uses your phone to protect your account' will appear. Click on 'Get Started.' The good thing about this feature is that Facebook will send you a text message on your mobile phone whenever a login is attempted from an unknown browser.
    • Go to the option called 'Trusted contacts' in Settings > Security. This feature allows your trusted contacts on Facebook to help you to get back on the site if your facebook account is hacked or you've forgotten your password somehow. Add a few trusted contacts (you need to add at least 3 people) and you're done.

    • Go to Settings > Privacy. You'll see an option that reads 'Who can see my stuffs'. Just edit this option and change the option 'Friends of friends' to 'Friends (only).' If you let friends of friends see your stuffs, people who are even your friends of friends can see them. One of the 'friends of friends' can also be a hacker who wants to hack your account.

    • When posting or sharing a photo/video or anything else, you can also click on the option called 'Friends,' which means the things that you share will only be visible to your friends.
    • On the Settings page, click on 'Timeline and tagging' and change the option from 'Friends of friends' to 'Friends (only).' However, if you want friends of friends to see your timeline too, you can choose that option, but doing this will make your account less secure.

  6. Download a copy of your Facebook data under 'Settings > General > Download a copy.' If you've been on Facebook for many years and have so much data on it, but, if a hacker deletes your account on Facebook, you'll be in trouble. So, if you want your memories not to be forgotten, just download this a copy of your data. Be sure to download your data once every three months.
  7. If you are a celebrity and want a secured account, create a page on Facebook. This is much better for celebrities who get tons of fan mail or even threatening messages.
  8. Only add people you know in real life as Facebook friends. Don't add everyone you see on the 'People you may know' section. There's a trend among teenage people, which is to make many friends on Facebook as if playing in the Olympics. However, you should not be part of this trend, because people who you have added as friends may also turn out to be hackers who just want a free lunch.
    • Regularly check your friends list on Facebook. Some hacker may have created a fake profile on your friend's name and may have reverted back to his or her name after you've confirmed that the hacker did that. Letting a hacker becoming your friend is like giving him or her access to your contact as well as personal information. Avoid this by only adding people you know in real life as Facebook friends.



Tips

  • If you're not really sure of your friends, never update your current status or private information on Facebook.
  • Always check your settings to see if your changes have been saved.
  • Be sure to unfriend people who try to bully you on Facebook. If you just keep them as your friends, they'll just think that you want some more friends (which you technically don't want).

Warnings

  • Think twice before telling your Facebook password to anyone (in serious conditions only).
  • Don't bully other people on Facebook.
  • Never use harsh or unfriendly comments on Facebook. Comments like that may get you in real trouble.

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