Introduction
FB Account Hacked How to Recover The following information will help you recover a Facebook account that has been hacked, whether it was compromised or you just want to increase security.
You try to access Facebook to wish a friend a happy birthday, but something is wrong. You’re faced with the dreaded question: “How to recover a hacked Facebook account?”
Twitter and Instagram are cool social media sites, but Facebook is the biggest fish in the sea, with nearly 3 billion active users worldwide. It’s also a popular target for cybercriminals. Though there is no official figure for the number of hacked Facebook accounts, one estimate prior to the pandemic was around 160 million per day. According to SonicWall’s 2022 Cyber Threat Report, almost every type of cybercrime increased last year, so your chances of being hacked on Facebook are probably higher than ever. So it’s a good idea to educate yourself on how to reclaim your Facebook account.
Perhaps even more important is understanding how to keep these cybercriminals from obtaining your personal information in the first place. After all, user-posted data is frequently what draws hackers to your account.
The bad guys can easily access the personal information you post without thinking twice—birthdays, anniversaries, hometowns, and more. “That’s all juicy information for hackers,”
You must take precautions to protect yourself from hackers, just as it is crucial to protect yourself from Facebook scams, Facebook Marketplace scams, and really all online scams. Continue reading to find out how to avoid being hacked and how to recover a hacked Facebook account, as well as how to tell if your computer has been hacked.
How to Recover a Facebook Account That Has Been Hacked
Knowing that a cyber stalker can view all of your intimate photos and heartfelt posts—and contact your friends and family while posing as you—is unsettling. If you still have access to your hacked Facebook account, follow the steps below to recover it.
1. As soon as you can, change your password.
- Select “Settings and Privacy.”
- “Password and Security” should be selected.
- Select “Change Passwords.”
2. Check the devices that are connected to Facebook.
There is a list titled “Where You’re Logged In” on the “Password and Security” page as well. To find a login you don’t recognize, do the following:
- Select the dubious login.
- Choosing “Secure Account”
3. Inform Facebook.
You should notify Facebook that something is wrong with your account, even if all of the logins are ones you are familiar with. As follows:
- By clicking on it, you may access the “Password and Security” page.
- On “Get Help,” click.
- Report the problem.
4. File a cybercrime report
The FBI suggests reporting a crime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, even though it’s typically not necessary to do so.
How do I get access to a Facebook account that has been compromised?
Make use of backup data
Visit Facebook.com/hacked if you’re unable to access your account. You will be asked for the phone number you used to open the account. Facebook will help you get back into your account and suggest security measures going forward.
Facebook may attempt to protect you by locking your account if it discovers unusual activity on your account. The account can be unlocked, but you must do so within a year. The company might delete it after that.
How can you avoid having your Facebook account hacked once more?
You’d be surprised at what hackers can do with just your cell phone number, so it’s up to you to make the process as challenging as possible for the bad guys to access your account.
The good news, according to Cleary, is that you have more power than you might realize to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Reduce your risk of having your account hacked by following these instructions.
1. Make your password stronger.
Cleary suggests using a passphrase of at least 16 characters rather than just one word. Use of this password on any other websites should be avoided. Cleary advises using password manager software if remembering all of your passwords becomes a hassle. Avoid using these easy-to-guess passwords at all costs.
2. Two-factor authentication.
The best cybersecurity trick of all time may be this feature. Here’s how it works: If Facebook notices that you are trying to log in with a device or browser that you haven’t used before, it will ask you for a password and a verification code, which it will text or send to you via an app. You will be the only one with access after that.
To configure this, go to Facebook’s “Password and Security” page. Follow the on-screen steps after selecting “Two-Factor Authentication.”
3. Unlink the connected apps
Signing into third-party apps and websites using your Facebook account is convenient, but it’s not the best idea in terms of cybersecurity. If you do this, these apps will have access to your data. Go to “Apps and Websites” in your account settings to see which apps and websites you’ve linked to your Facebook account. You can uninstall connected apps and websites from there after viewing a list of them.
4. Install additional security measures
The Facebook hack should be viewed as a panic button: Find out how to use friends to regain access to your Facebook account. On the same “Password and Security” screen, you can sign up for an alert about an unauthorized login and choose three to five trustworthy friends to receive Facebook links and codes on your behalf. To get the information and use it to restore your hacked Facebook account, you can call those friends.
5. Be cautious about sharing personal information.
The incredible restaurant meal you had last week won’t be of much use to hackers, but basic personal information might. “Is it really necessary to mention your marital status or place of birth, asks Cleary. By omitting those specifics, you’ll reduce the possibility that cybercriminals will be able to reverse-engineer your security questions and gain access to your online banking and other accounts.
Conclusion
Before you click, consider. Do not click any links or dial any phone numbers in a message claiming to be from a social media company that claims your account has been compromised. This might be a hacker’s bait and switch. Instead, go to the website or directly use the app.
See Also : How To Delete/Deactivate Instagram Account In 2023
Pay attention to anything out of the ordinary. Watch out for correspondence you didn’t send, content you didn’t publish, and purchases you didn’t make. These may indicate that your account has been compromised or that someone has guessed your password. If you’re lucky, one of your computers may be being used by an imprudent teen.