Online security is very important, both for individuals and for companies. Social media security – the more so. Without exaggerations, social media accounts are an extension of our identities, the way we connect with so many people and businesses, and there is no telling how much our online reputation would have to suffer should we become victims of malicious hacks.
However, it is a daily occurrence – people and businesses get their social media accounts hacked. The most frequent attacks are made against Facebook™ profiles and pages. What happens when a profile or page gets hacked?
For one, a stranger has access to your personal information and friends or followers list. They can impersonate you to post comments or share content, which can be abusive, threatening or illegal. They will be able to log in to third party websites and applications where you use your Facebook™ account as credentials.
Things are just as bad for business pages: all the followers you have painstakingly attracted over months or years of hard work can be lost in a few days by a hacker who shares clickbaits, unrelated and disturbing content.
So, what can you do to keep your Facebook™ page safe from hackers? Here are a few helpful tips:
1. Perform Regular Checks on Active Sessions
One of the ways to be on the lookout for potential hacking of your accounts is to validate the devices on which you are logged onto Facebook™. You can do so by following this path: Home -> Settings -> Security -> Recognised Devices. If you notice any device (computer or smartphone) which does not belong to you, quickly use the Remove option.
Even though it may not be a malicious unauthorised access, but the occasional (and not recommended) situation when you used a friend’s computer or smartphone to access Facebook™, it is still a potentially serious security risk.
2. Use Best Practices Concerning Your Password
There are so many things we can say here about weak and unsafe passwords! Allow us to reiterate just a few ideas:
- Do not use weak passwords like your birthday, admin1234, or password (yes, these are still on the top offender list of weak passwords in 2016!)
- Do not use your Facebook™ account password for any other type of login (email, various websites)
- Do not keep a file in your computer with your list of passwords for various websites, including Facebook™.
It is strongly recommended to change your password once every few months. If you have trouble remembering it, use a password manager tool, such as Dashlane or LastPass.
3. Be Careful about Third Party Apps
Many Facebook™ pages are customised with the help of various third party apps. Most of these apps are legitimate and safe; others, although not intentionally malicious, can be vulnerable to hacker attacks. Before you install any such app, check out its security encryption – it should have at least a SSL certificate.
Also, be wary of apps which require too much access to your Facebook™ data when you want to install them.
4. Enable Login Notifications
One surefire way to be in control of your logins on Facebook™ is to enable login notifications from Home -> Settings -> Security -> Login Alerts. Once you activate this option, you will receive a message on your mobile phone every time someone (even yourself) attempts to login to your Facebook™ account with your username and password.
As an extra layer of protection, from the same Security panel, enable Login Approvals. Once activated this option will require you to enter a code you will receive on your mobile phone before you are logged in to your account.
5. Permanently Update Your Page Administrators and Moderators List
On many occasions, a malicious attack on your Facebook™ page will strike from close to home – namely your own page administrators and moderators. The best policy is to remove administrator rights from anyone whom you terminate from your company. Disgruntled former employees are not too shy to take revenge on you by taking control of your page and ruining your reputation.
Another issue to pay attention to is reminding your page administrators to keep their own personal accounts secure. If one of their accounts is compromised, the hacker will also gain access to your Facebook™ page.