How to Secure Your Facebook Account
A few months ago, my Facebook account was hacked. I spent hours gaining back access to my account, and it was 100% a process that could have been easier (*ahem*, get on it, Meta).
But I now view this debacle as a way to help others secure their accounts against hackers. Here’s what I learned that can help you secure your Facebook account:
Add Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication adds a second way of ensuring that it’s you logging into your Facebook account. When you sign into Facebook and enter your password, that’s considered the first factor. The most common method for the second factor is that as soon as you login, a code is sent to you via text or phone call that you then enter into Facebook.
Facebook also offers the following second-factor methods:
Tapping your security key on a compatible device.
Login codes from a third party authentication app.
Text message (SMS) codes from your mobile phone.
To turn on or manage two-factor authentication:
Go to your Security and Login Settings.
Scroll down to Use two-factor authentication and click Edit.
Choose the security method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions.
Learn more about Facebook’s Two-Factor Authentication.
Verify that your birthdate is correct
It may seem better to have as little personal information online as possible, but your birthday is one of the pieces of information that Facebook must verify if you’re trying to re-access a hacked account.
Your birthday doesn’t have to be made public. On your Facebook profile, head to:
About -> Contact and Basic Info -> Birth date/Birth year
Click the icon next to your birth year (and/or date) and select the lock icon, “only me.”
If you use a nickname on Facebook, made sure you have a piece of mail with that exact name on it
To regain access to a hacked Facebook account, you have to prove your identity. Facebook requires some form of ID that contains your name, birthdate, and address.
“Meg” is a nickname, so when I sent a photo of my driver’s license to Facebook, they denied my request to regain access to my account since my license name and Facebook name do not match.
I was able to re-submit a picture of my driver’s license next to a piece of mail that contained my Facebook name and my address. Make sure the addresses match on both!
Have more than one admin on your Facebook pages
Having multiple admins means you can still access your page if your main account is hacked or you are put in Facebook jail for violating any of their (copious amounts of) terms.
Even when I was working on regaining access to my account, I was still able to access my page from a fake Facebook account I had created years ago. Since being hacked, I also added my husband as an admin so that I have three admins on my Facebook page: me, my fake account, and my husband.
Don’t use Facebook as a login for other accounts
I know it’s so convenient to click “use Facebook to login” when creating other accounts, but if you lose access to your Facebook account, you’ll lose access to every single one of the other accounts you use Facebook as a login for.
Not only that, sharing your Facebook login with other websites invites additional hacking risks.
The time spent securing your account can save you so much time and frustration in the future.
Psst! If your account was hacked, click here.
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HEY THERE! I’M MEG:
LOVER OF CATS, ROLLER SKATING, AND VW BUGS
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