The Commonest Way Your Facebook Account Can Be Hacked

Facebook has become one of the thrilling social media platform that is almost enjoyed by everybody that can have access to internet and mobile device(s). Over the years it has gain popularity in the way people connect with friends, family, and groups of different kinds. Apart from social interaction and fun, Facebook also provides useful information, and updates from different website.

However, as enjoyable and fun Facebook can be, hackers has device different means through which they normally lure Facebook uses and most times the unfortunate ones will fall victim which will be to their own detriment.

In this article we are going to expose some of the ways hackers make Facebook users to easily fall to their trap, and how to avoid them.

 

Phishing

 

The term Phishing can simply be said to mean when someone asks for your personal information that can be used to gain access to your account. One common way to phish is to trick someone to sign in on a fake web site.

Hackers will go through the trouble of creating a fake website that looks like Facebook. But, you can avoid this trap. It is always best to go to Facebook rather than click on a link. If you often use a link, carefully read the email address. Does it look correct, or is Facebook misspelled? Finally, check for the secure icon in the web address before signing in. This is because any click to those links can lead you to a comprised website through which the hackers can gain access to your personal details.

 

Password Spraying Attack

 

Password spraying attack is one of what is known as brute force attack. In brute force attack, the perpetrator device a means of gaining unauthorized access to a single account by guessing the password repeatedly in a very short period of time. Sometimes, it can be tempting to use something like “123456789” as a password. Of course, that is a bad idea; it is too easy to guess. Unfortunately, many people do use similar easy passwords without knowing the implications. Because of this, many hackers employ password spraying. This is when they guess a password by using the most common passwords.

It is hard to remember a random alphanumeric sequence as a password. So, more people use words, which limits the number of potential passwords available. When creating a password, it is best to use a unique phrase, replace some of the letters with numbers, and vary the capitalization. Also mix your password with special characters in a random way. That is one of the reasons why most web developers authenticate the password of their users to at least eight characters in length and in a very good combination as above.

 

Meanwhile, once you come up with a good and strong password, make sure you use it for your Facebook account alone. If you use the same password alongside many other accounts, you leave yourself vulnerable to Plain Password Grabbing. This is when a hacker attacks a more vulnerable and less secure site. Some web sites do not encrypt passwords very well. In that case, a hacker can then use the email and password saved in the database of such site to gain access to other sites like Facebook which will be to the detriment of the owner.

If you have a lot of accounts that require passwords, it is good that you make use of password manager. Password manager always generate strong password for the users.

 

Keylogging  

 

Keylogging is a more advanced hacking technique. It requires installing a program (keylogger software) on your device to track everything that you type. This can give hackers far more information than just your Facebook login details. They could even get credit card information using this method.

But, because a hacker needs to install a keylogging program on your device, it is a little easier to protect yourself against this sort of attack. Generally, hackers hide these programs in other software. To stay safe, do not download anything from website/links you are not familiar with. Your computer’s security software can detect these programs, but you might want to get anti-malware software for your smartphone. Make sure to keep your security software up to date by upgrading it to the latest version at and when due.

 

 

Also Read: Common-Mobile-Phone-Security-Threat-And-How-To-Avoid-Them

 

 

Suspicious Emails

 

You must have heard many times by now not to open suspicious emails. This is still true today, because fake emails have become much more sophisticated than in the past. Fake emails might appear to be from Facebook and have all the formatting and logos you expect in a legitimate email. It can be very difficult to determine if an email is fake.

 

There are a numerous ways a hacker can use a suspicious email to gain access to your Facebook account without your knowledge. The best way to avoid this is to delete the email and do not click on anything in the email. It is best to not even open suspicious emails.

In a situation where Facebook has to reach you, they can do so from your Facebook account. If you get an email from “Facebook”, instead of opening the email, log into your account to see if you have a notification there. Do not trust any emails that ask for account information, request money, or threaten to suspend your account, its probably not genuine.

Though one may have a strong password and a good anti-malware in his/her computer, connecting to an unprotected network will make your account vulnerable too. Public Wi-Fi that is always in hotels, airport, schools, malls, etc is often unsecured. This unsecured networks makes it easier for hackers to snoop through all the data that you send and received from webpages while connected to such public Wi-Fi.

Alternatively, instead of using free Wi-Fi to access Facebook on the go, sign in using mobile data. It will ensure that your data is more secure. Or consider getting a virtual private network (VPN). Many VPN providers will encrypt your data, which will protect it even if you are connecting to the internet on an unsecured network environment.

 

In summary, it is obvious that our growing dependence on the internet means that we need to be a little more careful while surfing the internet. All the security information out there can be a little overwhelming. But it all boils down to a couple of simple tips and steps. Use unique passwords for all your accounts.

Avoid clicking on any link that you do not trust (even if it looks like they are from Facebook). Do not download anything unless you are certain if it is safe. Be mindful of how you enter sensitive information on public computers or across public Wi-Fi.

 

 

Swifttalk Limited, as an internet service provider takes into cognizance the security implication on our services both on the customer and on the organization. And however, provide a highly secured public and private network. For further information, visit our swift-wifi-hotspot page, and Contact us for your services.