Are your friends posting about having their Facebook Accounts hacked?
Share this with them.
Yes it is always frustrating and can be devastating when you clicked on that link you shouldn’t have, and now your friends are being spammed or your account has been cloned, or worse, they have access to your Facebook pages and are running riot. I would get tagged in easily 3 posts a week where someone is sharing a status update or screaming for help – albeit silently – because they have lost control of a their page. So if your friends are posting about having their Facebook accounts hacked, please share this with them.
So, how can we stop Facebook accounts getting hacked?
Keeping in mind that as business owners or managers you will potentially have access to many social media pages and groups, it is of critical importance that you implement two-step security verification. We recommend doing this by enabling Facebook Login Approvals as well as for all your other social media channels under account settings there will be the option to enable this feature. Some now require you to do so like MailChimp.
What are Facebook Login Approvals?
Login approvals are a security feature similar to login alerts, but with an extra security step. If you turn on login approvals, you’ll be asked to enter a special security code each time you try to access your Facebook account from a new computer, mobile device or browser. To turn on login approvals:
1. Go to your Settings, then Security Settings
2. Click on the Login Approvals section
3. Alongside ‘Two-factor authentication is currently disabled’ – click ‘Enable.
Save my Device or Browser?
Facebook needs to be able to remember your computer and browser information so they can recognise it the next time you log in, so make sure you save the device (e.g. computer) or browser you’re using. This will save you having to enter a code when you login from any of your recognised devices. If you’re having trouble here, it’s because some browser features block this. For example, if you’ve turned on private browsing, use a VPN or set up your browser to clear your history every time it closes, you might have to enter a code every time you log in. But hey, this is definitely better than being hacked!
IMPORTANT: Do not click ‘Save this browser’ if you’re using a public computer that other people can access (e.g. a library computer). We recommend not accessing any personal or business related password-protected sites on public access computers, or especially on someone else’s computer.
What Login Approval Methods can I use?
There are several ways you can receive login approvals; such as text message, security codes from Code Generator, security codes from a third-party app, approving your login from a confirmed device, and more.
By default, you’ll receive a text message (SMS) with a login code each time you need one. If you don’t want to receive text messages with login codes, you can turn this feature off in the Login Approvals section but you’ll have to have at least both a security key and code generator turned on instead.
Note: You need to have a mobile phone number listed on your account to turn on login approvals, and you can easily add one in when you’re turning on these approvals.
What is Code Generator?
Code Generator is part of the extra security feature within login approvals. If you turn on login approvals, you’ll be asked for a special security code each time you try to log into your Facebook account from a new computer or mobile phone.
Code Generator is a feature in the Facebook app and creates a unique security code every 30 seconds, even if you don’t have access to text messages (SMS) or an internet connection. You can use this code in addition to your password to log in to Facebook.
You can also use Code Generator if you ever need to reset your password. To get your code on your mobile device:
- From your Facebook app, tap the menu button (bottom right on the homescreen)
- Scroll down and tap Code Generator
- Use the code to log in to Facebook
Note: Code Generator is only available from the Facebook app for Android and iOS
Extra Steps
Now facebook allows you to nominate up to five trusted friends who can help you if you become locked out of your account. Facebook recommends using this feature and it can be really helpful for anyone to prevent losing access to your page.
In addition, you can set up two extra security steps. The first is to make sure you have enabled alerts to activate when Facebook detects attempted logins from unknown sources. Here, you can choose how you want to be notified with several options being available. These settings are not turned on by default, so it’s good to check this section to ensure you’re informed. Make sure to consider also being notified via SMS or email as well to ensure, in the worst case, that you will still see the notification.
The second extra security step repeats the account recover process by nominating up to five friends to help in the recovery process.
Need More Help?
If you are still having issues with Facebook accounts getting hacked or just Facebook security in general and want some help, give us a call on 1300 658 543, or contact us and book in for some social media coaching over coffee!
