How to keep your Facebook secure
If you're like most of the population, you and your loved ones have probably spent a lot more time online in 2020 than you ever have before. While this can be fantastic for digital marketing it can also bring to light the importance of cybersecurity and keeping your accounts and online intellectual property safe. You may have noticed either yourself or someone you know having their Facebook account hacked or people posting content that seems a little different to their usual online voice. Don't worry, you're not the only one, we've noticed too. While screen time has increased rapidly over the last 6 months, information around the dangers and risk of leaving your social media accounts unprotected and ways to prevent cyber-attacks is scarce.
We have a few simple things you can do next time you're logged in to your Facebook account in order to keep your pages, ad accounts and personal account as safe as possible.
1. Change your password
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Login > Change Password
Never use the same password for multiple accounts. That way if one account gets hacked you know the others are most likely protected. When creating passwords you should make them long and complex some even suggest making your password a phrase unique to you. This will make it harder for hackers/hacking algorithms to guess your password. It should include both lower and upper case letters, a number(s) and at least one symbol i.e @ # % & *. If you're worried about forgetting your complex secure passwords we recommend a password storage application such as Lastpass. *NEVER save your passwords to browsers.
2. Log out of all devices
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Where You're Logged In > ⋮ > Log Out
You can set up login alerts so that when your account is logged into from an unknown device you will receive either an email and/or a messenger notification. To do this go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Setting Up Extra Security > Set up alerts for unrecognized logins > select what notifications you wish to receive.
3. Set up Two Factor Authentication
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Two-Factor Authentication > Use two-factor authentication > follow the prompts to set up
Two Factor Authentication means that in order to log in to your Facebook or Messenger account you will need to enter a one-time 6 digit code which will either be generated via text message or a Two-Factor Authenticator App. You can add devices to an 'Authorised Logins' list (find under Two-Factor Authentication so you won't have to use the code every time you log in.
4. Add a Backup Method
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Two-Factor Authentication > Put in password > Add a Backup Method > Recovery Codes > Setup > Get Codes > Download
Save these codes in a safe place. They can be used one time each for when you get locked out of your account or lose your phone and can't receive a verification code via text or app. When you have used all of them you can choose to 'Get New Codes' and new codes will generate.
We hope these tips will help you add a little extra security to your business and help keep your Facebook account and pages safe. If you need any further assistance and guidance please contact our team.