Facebook is a free and popular social networking service that allows users to interact easily with and share postings with their friends and family. Because Facebook is such a prominent social media network, fraudsters are more interested in to hack a Facebook account. This post will discuss the five most prevalent vulnerabilities and what you can do to protect your Facebook accounts from thieves.

1. Vulnerable Passwords

Hackers can easily hack a Facebook account by guessing or executing a brute force attack if the password is simple and regularly used, such as a nickname, phone number, partner’s name, or pet name. Once the hacker obtains your password, they can access your account and do anything they want with it.

How to Protect Against Insecure Passwords

Users should create a strong password that includes digits, symbols, spaces, and lower and uppercase characters. It is critical that the password users set for their Facebook accounts is distinct from the password they use for other social media or email accounts. This reduces the possibility of your account being hacked. HaveIBeenPwned is a popular service for ensuring the security of your accounts. You can check here to discover whether your credentials have been disclosed to the public.

2. Email Phishing

Phishing emails are a simple technique for attackers to get access to Facebook accounts. An attacker can create fake emails that appear to be received from Facebook. Here are some samples of emails that might be sent:

• Alerts regarding friend requests, messages, events, images, and videos
• False allegations that you violated their Community Standards
• Warns you that something will happen to your account if you do not update it or take specific action.
• Claims or offers that appear to be too good to be true (such as winning a Facebook lottery)

How to Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks

Users should be taught and informed about the characteristics of phishing emails so that they can be on the lookout for them. What you can do is as follows:

• Do not open attachments or click on links in a questionable email.
• Do not react to strange emails, particularly those requesting your password, social security number, or credit card information.
• Entering personal information via a pop-up screen is not recommended (note: legit companies would never ask for personal information via a pop-up screen)
• Keep an eye out for misspellings in the email’s text.

3. Man in the Middle (MITM)

When a user unintentionally connects to a fake WiFi network, a “man-in-the-middle attack” may occur. This is another method that hackers can use to get access to Facebook accounts. Most of the time, you won’t be able to determine which WiFi is genuine or not because it’s public, and it’s typical for it to take you to a login screen where you’ll be required to enter your email address and a password before being permitted internet access. Again, the attacker has logged this information and can try these login credentials on other social media platforms without your knowledge.

How to Prevent Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

You should never connect your mobile device or laptop to a public WiFi network since they are insecure and provide easy access to information for hackers. If you wish to connect to public WiFi, I recommend using a VPN to ensure the security of your connection.

4. Remote Keyloggers

A hacker must first gain access to your mobile device or laptop in order to install software that will record anything you input on your device. Once installed, anything is written (password, login credentials, bank information, etc.) is recorded and accessible to the hacker. This is a covert method for an attacker to break into Facebook accounts. For example, if an attacker gains access to your laptop and installs keylogger software, everything you enter will be recorded for the attacker. Not only would your Facebook credentials be saved, but so would your bank credentials, email accounts, and any other accounts you have.

How to Protect Yourself from Remote Keyloggers

• Third-party keyboard programs should not be used.
• Because the keylogger may be included in the attachment, do not open any attachments or click on any links in the email message.
• Install anti-spyware software to identify, deactivate, and quarantine software-based keyboard loggers 

5. Denial of Service (DoS)

A denial of service attack is defined as “a malicious attempt to disrupt the availability of a targeted system, such as a website or application, to legitimate end users” (AWS). To overwhelm Facebook, attackers will often create a huge amount of packets or requests. When this sort of attack happens, users may experience difficulty accessing Facebook and will be unable to log in.

How to Prevent Denial of Service Attacks

• Monitor the network so you know what regular incoming traffic looks like.
• Install a web application firewall.
• Understand the typical symptoms of a denial of service attack so that you can neutralize the attack as soon as possible.

Conclusion

These are the five most prevalent vulnerabilities used by hackers to compromise Facebook, as well as methods to safeguard against each vulnerability. There are undoubtedly many more techniques to hack Facebook accounts, including those that are not yet publicly acknowledged. Hackers are constantly one step ahead in developing new strategies that may not seem preventable at first. Consequently, people and businesses (as the last vulnerability is aimed at organizations) should do everything possible to keep their accounts and sites safe.