Imagine a world without hackers, a world where your online credentials are safe and you need not to worry about your Facebook private chats & messages getting into the wrong hands, your contact list being deleted by a stranger, your Facebook page defaced, and your life ruined as a result of the impact.
The hard truth is we are yet to find ourselves in that world where there are no hackers and until then, we have to do the necessary things to keep our social network accounts safe. To avoid your Facebook Account from getting compromised, it is advised you form a habit of consistently updating your password and making sure your security settings are strengthened.
Anyways, if your Facebook account has been hacked – never worry! You can quickly regain control by following the effective tips in this article.
How to track your activities on Facebook to know if your account has been hacked
You cannot determine whether your Facebook account has been hacked if you do not properly track your activities.
To do this - login to your Facebook account and click the small arrowhead in the top right corner to reveal a menu.
From the dropdown menu, click Settings.
Navigate to Security and Login or you can comfortably use this straightforward link.
A display of where / when you recently logged in will be shown to you. You will also see the devices used in accessing your account and peradventure you don’t recognize any of the activities or devices, it’s time to swing into action by following the instructions below...
1. Change your password and avoid using easily guessed information to make it up
If it turns out that the hacker has not changed your account password, God must be on your side! Be wise and quickly update your password before you log out unknown sessions (alerting the hacker will be your worst nightmare). If the hacker was a step ahead of you by changing your password, then proceed to step 1.1.
Under Settings > Security and Login, scroll down and click Change password. An input box to enter your current password, new password and retype password will be shown. My advice is that you choose a strong password and avoid using words below 8 characters long. You can also use a password manager to aid the process, and afterwards click Save Changes.
After changing your Facebook password, scroll up and click log out of all sessions.
You can also scroll up and click the three dots by your right hand side to Log out individual sessions you do not recognize. Hurray!!! We just cracked the first step, so easy and not stressful.
If your account was used for unknown or negative purposes by third-party apps, proceed to step 3.
1.1 Reset your password if the hackers had already changed it
When going against a hacker’s wish list, prepare for the worst as they are always ambitious to see the end of their game. Probably they were smarter than you and had already changed your Facebook password making your account inaccessible; the next line of action is to reset your account password immediately!
You can undo the hacker’s deed by clicking the Forgotten account link. When the page loads, follow the instructions gradually.First, you need to Find Your Account. Don't forget to use the email address associated with your Facebook account when you registered.
Next option is select any method you would like to receive your password reset code.
If you have no access to the options available, click the No longer have access to these? link. Here is how the mail will look like if you reset your password using the Send code via email option.
Move on to step 2 if you believe someone has taken advantage of your Facebook account vulnerabilities for sometime now without you being aware.
2. Use 'My Account is Compromised' link to report suspicious activities
If it comes to your notice that your friends are complaining of weird requests from your Facebook page, receiving strange adverts they never solicit and flooded with junk messages at certain intervals – it’s now more than a hack! Your account has been compromised. Go ahead and report your compromised account to Facebook team.
You can also use this method whenever hackers hijack your account. Thanks to Facebook as they will be there to help you recover it.
3. Get rid of harmful Third-Party applications
Many app vendors cannot be trusted as they can take advantage of access to your Facebook account authorized by you. Not all links or website which requires you to login their site using your Facebook account is safe. All i can say is surf the web with caution!
removing this suspicious applications on Facebook is easy as ABC, simply go to Settings > Apps. take time to note the apps and perform necessary actions. Hover an app with your cursor and you will see a pen icon representing Edit settings and X representing Remove. click the X, and confirm by clicking Remove.
You can review permissions giving to apps by clicking the pen icon to Edit settings.
4. Minimize Damage to your Reputation
By now, you should have regain control of your Facebook account but the after effect may still be there. It is wise you tell your friends what happened because they might have received spammed messages, pictures or strange request from the hackers thereby tarnishing your image.
You can pass the information via email, other social networks or contact a mutual friend to use his/her Facebook account to inform others.
Have your Facebook account ever been hacked? Please share with us in the comments. Don't forget to share this article with your friends if you found the tips helpful.
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