Over the years, the involvement of cyber activity in day-to-day human activities has increased dramatically. One can now shop online and make bill payments without even having to visit financial institutions in person. As a result, the number of cyber-attacks has also increased over the years, with newer schemes and more complicated methods.
Facebook accounts, with their large volume of data on a user, have been known to be one of the frequent targets of hacking incidents. Older hacking methods have been proven to work time and time again, but newer and more dangerous forms of hacking have been known to exist today.
Here are some of the common Facebook hacking methods and some tips on how to avoid them.
1. Phishing
Phishing attacks have been widely attacking businesses and private individuals over the years. A hacker would send an email to the victim, which would trick them into clicking links that would download a computer virus or malware into the victim’s device. The virus or the malware will send information regarding an individual’s information, which, in this case, is the victim’s Facebook user information.
More advanced phishing attempts have been using company names and letterheads for their attacks, giving them more credibility in their victims’ eyes. This is one of the most common ways accounts get hacked.
Tips to avoid:
In order to make sure that phishing attacks don’t work, it would be recommended to take a closer look at the email being sent, noting that a trusted entity would never ask a customer to reveal private information about one’s account in an email.
Moreover, looking at the links provided in the email more closely would help. Instead of clicking on the link directly, it would be ideal for copying the link and then opening it on your browser. This helps ensure that the malware’s algorithm imprinted on the link would be cut off from one’s applications, giving it no access to one’s information.
2. Keyloggers
This one is an old yet highly effective method. Keyloggers record every keyboard movement from the moment it is turned on. When an individual uses another device to log in to their Facebook account, their login details would be recorded into the key log.
Tips to avoid:
When using another computer, it would be advisable to open the task manager first to make sure that no keylogger apps are open at the time of logging in. While it is not advisable to use another person’s phone, it would be advisable to use multi-factor authentication to add another layer of protection to the account. This would help make sure that the password will be rendered useless in case it is stolen.
3. Log in token interception
Back in 2018, a widespread account hack on Facebook occurred. The hackers could intercept the login tokens of several users, which gave them access to the accounts. The scary part about this is that they do not even need passwords to log into their accounts if they have the tokens. This is potentially the most dangerous hack yet, which may not be prevented by normal methods.
Tips to avoid:
Always add layers of protection. If log-in tokens are being stolen, it would be advised to use multi-factor authentication to ensure that one is notified in case of a breach. It is also advised to regularly change one’s password to ensure that the stolen tokens are rendered invalid over time.
Changing passwords would reset the login tokens required to log into the account. Also, checking one’s login history would be a good security measure. If suspicious logins are being initiated in an account, changing security details would help restrict access against the hackers.
Maintaining data security is more important now than ever. The amount of data theft over the years has been massively occurring throughout the internet, which is why one needs to maintain a habit of being aware and conscious of one’s data privacy.
With the widespread use of Facebook, it would not be surprising if people take an interest in knowing what is going on in a private account. Countering these attacks would depend on the user. Knowing when and how these may happen is now an essential part of living, as we start living with computers.
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