A while back I wrote a post discussing several things you can do to protect your Facebook account from hackers.
That post explains how hackers will try to use phishing attempts and various social engineering techniques to trick you into handing over your Facebook password or the personal info they can use to guess it.
If you haven’t yet read that post I suggest that you click over to that post and read it after you’ve finished making the changes recommended in this one.
This post is a follow-up post explaining how to protect your Facebook account from getting hacked from a slightly more technical perspective.
Facebook offers a number of tools that can help keep your password and account safe and secure. Here are a few tips for using them:
First, choose a password that is difficult to guess yet easy to remember. This post explains how to do that.
Next, since your email address is used to log into your Facebook account I recommend that you change your privacy settings to hide your email address from your profile. Here’s how:
1 – Log in to your Facebook account and visit your About page.
2 – In the left-hand column, click Contact and Basic Info.
3 – Hover your mouse over the Email field, then click the Edit button after it pops up.
4 – Click the first down arrow to the right of the email address that you use to log in to Facebook, then select Only Me.
5 – Next, click the down arrow on the far right and select Hidden from Timeline.
6 – Repeat steps 4 and 5 for any other email addresses that you wish to hide.
7 – Click Save changes.
Now that you have hidden your email address and selected a strong password,
Another way hackers can make their way into your Facebook account is via a rogue app. That’s why I recommend disabling any and all apps that you don’t use (or even worse, don’t recognize). Click here for simple instructions.
And finally, Facebook now allows you to place a fool-proof “lock” on your account’s login page by enabling Two-Factor Authentication on it. I recommend that you click here and do that right now.
After you’ve enabled Two-Factor Authentication, any time you (or someone else) tries to log in to your Facebook account from an unknown device/browser, you’ll receive a text message on your cell phone with a security code that you must enter before Facebook will allow you to log in.
This means it will be impossible for someone else to log in to your Facebook account from a device that you do not own unless they also have physical access to your cell phone.
Well, that’s about all there is to locking down your Facebook account to prevent hackers from taking control of it.
If you prefer visual instructions, our friends over at Social Media Classes have put together a fantastic video that shows how to lock down your Facebook page:
Bottom line: Your Facebook account should now be about as safe from hackers as it could possibly be. I wish you the best of luck!
Bonus tip #1: Now that you have your account locked down tight on a technical level, I recommend that you read this post for tips on protecting yourself and your account from social engineering (i.e. human to human) style attacks.
Bonus tip #2: Want to make sure you never miss one of my tips? Click here to join my Rick’s Tech Tips Facebook Group!
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