Guess what’s the utopia for cyber crooks? Social networking sites; to be more specific, Facebook. Incidences of Facebook accounts being hacked is not anymore an uncommon scenario. According to a report by The New York Times, nearly 600,000 attempts are made every day to hack into FB user accounts.
So how can you keep hackers from sneaking into your FB account? Well, you can start by tweaking your account’s privacy settings. Here are some tips you can follow:
1. Think of a Stronger Password
This one’s a no-brainer. You want to secure your property, you need a strong fence. One smart way to set a strong password, is to think of a phrase and modify it by adding numbers, special characters, or so. For example, a password such as HowMayIHelpU2day@789 is easy to remember and at the same time, difficult to crack. [Check how strong is your password here] Also, keep different passwords for different accounts.
2. Enjoy Secure Browsing
This is another neat method to keep your Facebook activity safe. To turn Secure Browsing ON:
Go to Account Settings
Click Security and then Secure Browsing
Check the box shown below, and then Save Changes
3. Play Hide but Not Seek!
You can keep yourself from being searched on Facebook directory and search engines as well.
Go to Privacy Settings
Select “Friends” for options 1 and 2, as shown below:
Click option 3 and uncheck the box if already checked.
(Click the image for an enlarged view)
4. Exploit the Feature “Login Notifications”
This is another security feature that notifies you whenever your account is accessed from a device you have not used before. You may choose to be notified via email or text message or both.
Go to Accounts Settings, select Security, and then click Login Notifications.
5. Check Out the “Active Sessions” Feature
This feature lets you view the location you are logged in from, device you used to login, and even the device type. If your account is logged in from somewhere else, even that would be shown here, with an “End Activity” option. If the other location seems unfamiliar to you, then click this option.
(Click the image for an enlarged view)
6. Decide What you Want to Share with Apps
The information that you share with your FB friends, can be used by apps your friends use. To avoid this, you can choose what information to share and what not to share.
Go to Privacy Settings, select Apps
Then select “Apps others use“. As you can see in the screenshot below, most of your info would be checked by default. So, accordingly choose what you want to share and what not.
(Click the image for an enlarged view)
7. Don’t Bother Checking “Keep me logged in” option
Whenever you are accessing your account from public place like cyber cafes, ensure that the option “Keep me logged in” is unchecked.
8. Always Log Out
Another no-brainer – no matter which site you are in, always log out.
And that would be all from us on how you can tweak your FB account privacy settings, and reduce the odds of getting hacked by crooks, even if they try it for 600,000 times!