HOW TO PREVENT HACKING: KEEP YOUR YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT DOUBLE PROTECTED

Truely, a strong password is not enough to keep your facebook account 100% secured. If you can login  to your facebook account with only a password be worry about hacking no matter how complex your password is. You are at the risk of being a victim at any moment. The reason is obvious: facebook account hacking or cybercrime in general is no longer committed by individual amateurs; it has become a lucrative business run by highly organized groups. As a result, the modus operandi has evolved considerably over the past few years with new technologies being created and applied. So, getting or cracking your password is not all that difficult.

This days we have witnessed so many facebook account being hijacked by hackers. Majority may think this happen due to a weak password or carelessness. Yes, they may be partially right - to some people but not all. People who are cautious can easily protect themselves against phishing attack but for malicious programs is not all that easy, as there are so many ways your phone/computer can be infected with spyware without you knowing. 

Furthermore, to our readers who have lost their facebook account to hackers, we sympathize with you, because we know the pain you are going through now where facebook have become an integral part of our lives. Hence, we want to put a stop to that. In this article, we'll share with you some of the most common hacking methods, and what you can  do to keep your facebook account 100% secure no matter how weak your password is.

THE MOST COMMON WAYS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT GET HACKED.

In most cases facebook account hackers and cyber criminals in general use dedicated malicious programs or social engineering methods to steal data. Sometimes, a combination of the two methods may be used for increased effectiveness. 

A. Social Engineering

Let me start by giving an insight on Social engineering which  is used to manipulate people's behaviour in order to help the hacker/fraudster achieves his/her aim and objective.

Social engineering is a form of deception that aims to trick prospective victim into releasing sensitive data or information as required by a hacker/fraudster. The sensitive data/information in this case is your facebook username, password and verification code but in others aspect, it could be your internet banking/ATM card details and much more.

Social engineering is a term that covers a wide  range of activities. All of them have the same goal, but different approaches to achieve it. Below is a list of some common types of social engineering attacks and a brief description of how they work.

Phishing: This is by far the most common form of social engineering attack and is carried out by email, sms, chat, etc. A phishing email/text aims to trick the target individual into revealing sensitive information or taking an action that then compromises security. 

Most Facebook accounts are hacked by phishing. This is when the hacker “fishes” for your information by creating a website that looks identical to Facebook’s log in page. Then, they either send out an email/sms asking you to log in; or alternatively, send out interesting post/video asking you to log in when you click to view the post or watch the video. If you enter your username and password, this information is automatically recorded by the hacker, and your account is now prone to hack.

Baiting: Baiting differs from phishing by trying to entice the target individual with an offer or exploit their curiosity. A common form of baiting is to offer free music downloads (or other forms of media). The aim is to get the target to click on the link and enter their login details.

A physical form of baiting preys on human curiosity. The fraudsters can leave virus infected memory card/USB flash drive lying on the floor around you. If someone gets curious and picks up the memory card/USB flash drive and plugs into a phone/computer then the fraudster can gain access to the data/information he needed to hack your account.

Vishing: Vishing is a form of social engineering using a phone call to the prospective victim. A lot of hackers try hacking someone’s password by using the “Forgot Password” method in Facebook. However, before they succeeded they have to get a verification code from the owner. That means they have to convinced the target individual to get the code. Assuming you are the one targeted, a fraudster may send you a text message, chat massage or even call directly pretending to be someone or an organization you know, claiming to offer a service or need your help. As the conversation is going on between two of you, he will be asking for a code sent to you. Take a look at the screenshot below:

It is a screenshot of a text massage I got from facebook when I was resetting my password using the “Forgot Password” method in Facebook. Surprisingly, the sender ID is not customized for you to know that the massage comes from Facebook and also the content is not stated clearly what the code is all about. So as soon as you released the code to him your facebook account password is reset. 

B. Malicious Programs (Malware)

Now Let’s take a look at malicious programs which are designed to spy on users’ actions. One of such program is a keylogger, a malicious program which secretly records everything that you type into your computer, tablet, or cell phone and then transmitted to the author or user of the malicious program via internet or email. Kaspersky Lab classifies such programs as Trojan-Spy or Trojan-PSW.

There are a lot of Facebook hacking apps in the market. One of such apps is spyic. It is the cheapest and most efficient facebook hacking app in the market. Once Spyic install into the target phone, the icon automatically disappears. As such, it's completely discreet. It works silently in the background and doesn't drain the phone’s battery or make the phone slow either. In order to hack Facebook password, an hacker makes use of the Keylogger feature of the App. This feature gives him access to a log of all the keys being pressed by the target individual. 

Spy programs arrive on a victim phone/computer through a download link in a website, email, facebook, whatsapp and text message  as well as file and app sharing. In most cases, Baiting approach is adopted to make the target individual quickly click on the link. A good example is one of the variants of Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch, a common Trojan that steals passwords to facebook, instant messaging applications, mailboxes and other information. After making its way onto the PC, the malicious program sends messages such as:

"Great stuff 😯 

Take a look at this..."

Most recipients click on the link and launch the Trojan. This is due to the fact that most people trust messages sent by friend. And this is how the Trojan spreads – after infecting your friend’s computer, the Trojan will send itself on to all addresses in your friend’s contact list, and at the same time will be delivering stolen data to its author.

WHAT CAN I DO TO KEEP MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT 100% SECURE? 

Here are a few things you can do to keep your account 100% secure:

1. Activate Two-Factor Authentication: It is Highly recommended for everyone to activate two-factor authentication to enhance the security of their account. This is the only way to keep your facebook account 100% protected from hackers. The principle behind it is simple: You sign in with something you know (your password), and something you have (one time code sent to you via sms).

Two-factor authentication is a security feature that helps protect your Facebook account in addition to your password. If you enable two-factor authentication, you'll be asked to enter a special login code or confirm your login attempt each time you or someone tries accessing your facebook account from a browser, mobile device or computer which Facebook don't recognize. Facebook will ask for a one time code sent to you through text message if they notice an attempted login from an unrecognized device or browser. 

Unlike others verification code, two-factor authentication code comes with a customized sender ID - "FACEBOOK" and the content clearly stated, see sample below:

A mere seen the text message, you can quickly detect what the person asking for the code  is trying to do with your Facebook account and deny him the code. Unless a hacker has your phone in his/her hand when trying to access your account, he/she won't be able to complete the sign-in process if two-factor authentication is enabled. 

How to turn on or manage two-factor authentication.

To turn on or manage two-factor authentication follow the steps below:

i. From the mobile app, Tap menu icon = at the top right corner.

ii. Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings & Privacy.

iii. From the pop-up, tap Setting.

iv. Scroll to security section and tap Security and Login.

v. Scroll down and tap Use Two-Factor Authentication. 

vi. From the Choose Security Method screen that appears go down choose Text Massage (SMS) and tap Continue.

vii. From the the Select your phone number screen that appears, choose a mobile phone number that is already on your account or add a new number for two-factor authentication ant tap Continue. This is the number you will receive your verification code on.

N/B: For security reasons, you won’t be able to use the same mobile phone number that you use for two-factor authentication to reset your password. So I advice you to choose an option "Add a new number"  if you have another phone number.

viii. From the screen that appears enter your new phone number, go down  and tap Confirm. 

ix. You may be asked to enter your password at this point. So enter your password and tap Continue.

x. At this point a 6-digit verification code is sent to your phone. So enter the code in the screen that appears and tap Continue to finished setting up Two-Factor Authentication.

2. Exhibit Caution: 

i. Never share a 6-digit Two-Factor Authentication code with others via phone call, chat or email even if the other person appears to be someone you know or an organization you trust. If you receive a phone call, chat message or email from someone claiming to know you or offer services and he/she ask for your two-factor authentication code or code of any kind sent to you, end the conversation immediately—it's a scam! He/she is trying to hack your account not just facebook account.

ii. You can save a device or browser to your list of trusted browsers or recognized devices. This option is available each time you successfully login with an unrecognized device or browser as seen below:

Never tap Continue with the option "Save Browser/Device" if you're using a public computer (such as one in a library or cafe) or a borrowed laptop/phone.

We recommend you share this advice with friends and family to help secure their facebook accounts.