Here is what you need to know about recovering a hacked Facebook account, regardless of whether your account has been hacked or you wish to increase security. To wish a buddy a happy birthday on Facebook, you attempt to log in, but something is wrong. You find yourself wondering how to recover a deleted or hacked social media account that has been compromised.

What platforms do hackers go for?

TikTok and Instagram may be the trendiest social media platforms, but Facebook is the biggest fish in the pond with close to 3 billion active users worldwide. Hackers frequently target it as well. Although there isn’t an official figure of how many Facebook accounts have been compromised. According to SonicWall’s 2022 Cyber Threat Report, the likelihood of getting hacked on Facebook has likely increased since virtually all forms of cybercrime increased last year. So, it’s a good idea to empower yourself with knowledge about how to regain access to your Facebook account.

Knowing how to stop these thieves from obtaining your personal information in the first place maybe even more crucial. After all, user-posted information frequently attracts hackers to your account.

Birthdays, anniversaries, hometowns, and other personal information that you carelessly disclose online are all readily available to criminals. Kevin Cleary, an interim information security officer at the University at Buffalo in New York, believes that the information is “all juicy stuff for hackers, who can use it to assist break into other accounts you have.”

You must take precautions to protect yourself from hackers just as it is vital to protect yourself from Facebook scams, Facebook Marketplace scams, and generally all online scams. Continue reading to learn how to recover a hacked Facebook account, prevent being hacked, and determine whether your computer has been compromised.

How to recover a hacked Facebook account?

Your information may be disclosed in one of two ways, both of which involve data breaches. In the first scenario, Facebook experiences its own data breach, similar to the one that was announced last year and compromised the accounts of more than 530 million users. You can’t really do much to stop that kind of breach.

However, you may influence the other factor that led to a Facebook account hack. It all comes down to a simple password error. A careless, frequently used password could make it simple for hackers to gain access to your Facebook account after stealing the data of one business. People frequently use the same password for Facebook and other websites, so if a tiny company experiences a hack, your password may be made public, according to Cleary. The password is tested by cybercriminals on other websites, including social media. And your password reused might be made public on more than just websites. When it comes to your Facebook account, there are commonplace items that could be compromised, such as Smart TVs, and utilized to further a hacker’s objectives.

Facebook account hack warning signs

If your Facebook account is compromised, you’ll probably find out very fast (or receive a heads-up from a friend). This is because the warning indications are more visible than those that indicate that you are about to be hacked. In the event that your Facebook account is hacked, Facebook warns that the following things may occur:

• alterations to your name, birthday, email, or password
• Requests for friends made by strangers
• Unwritten messages that you sent
• posts published that you did not make
• How to restore a Facebook account that you have access to

Immediately change your password.

Knowing that a cyber stalker can view all of your intimate images and emotive posts—and contact your friends and family while posing as you—is disconcerting. If you still have access to your Facebook account, follow the instructions below to regain it.

1. Setting Up A New Facebook Password
2. “Settings and Privacy” should be selected.
3. “Password and Security” should be chosen.
4. Then select “Change Passwords.”

Verify the devices that are connected to Facebook.

There is a list labeled “Where You’re Logged In” on the “Password and Security” page as well. To find a login you don’t recognize, perform the following:

1. Select the dubious login.
2. Choosing “Secure Account”
3. Follow the instructions that are displayed on the screen to learn just how to get your hacked Facebook account back.

Even if all of the logins to your account are ones you are familiar with, you should let Facebook know that something is wrong with your account. This is how:

1. Go to the “Password and Security” page by clicking it.
2. On “Get Help,” click.
3. Declare the occurrence.

File a cybercrime report

Although it’s usually unnecessary to do so, the FBI advises reporting a crime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

How to get access to a Facebook account that has been compromised

 Make use of backup data: Visit Facebook.com/hacked if you’re unable to access your account. The phone number that you used to open the account will be requested. Facebook will assist you in regaining access to your account and recommend security precautions moving forward.

Facebook may attempt to safeguard you by locking your account if it discovers unusual behavior on your account. The account can be unlocked, but you must do it within a year. The corporation might erase it after that.

How to avoid having your Facebook account stolen once more?

You’d be surprised at what hackers can accomplish with just your cell phone number, so it’s up to you to make the procedure as tough as you can for the bad guys to access your account.

The good news, according to Cleary, is that you have more power than you would realize to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Follow these instructions to reduce the likelihood that your account may be hacked.

1. Make your password more robust

Instead of just one word, Cleary advises using a passphrase of at least 16 characters. You should avoid using this password on any other websites. Cleary advises adopting password management software if remembering all of your passwords becomes a hassle. Avoid using these simple-to-guess passwords at any cost.

2. Establish two-factor authentication.

The best cybersecurity ruse of all time maybe this feature. This is how it goes: Facebook will request a password as well as a verification code that the website will send to you via text message or through an app if it detects a login attempt from a device or browser that you haven’t used before. You will only have access after that.

Visit Facebook’s “Password and Security” page to configure this. Choose “Two-Factor Authentication” and proceed as instructed.

3. Turn off any associated apps

Although it’s easy, it’s not the best idea in terms of cybersecurity to sign into third-party apps and websites using your Facebook account. These apps can access your data if you do this. Go to “Apps and Websites” in your account settings to see which apps and websites you’ve linked to your Facebook account. You can uninstall associated apps and websites from there after viewing a list of them.

4. Install additional security measures

Think of this Facebook hack as a panic button: learn how to get your Facebook account back through friends. You can sign up for an alert about an unauthorized login on the same “Password and Security” screen, and you can also select three to five reliable friends to receive Facebook links and codes on your behalf. To get the information and utilize it to restore your hacked Facebook account, you can phone those friends.

5. Be cautious about sharing personal information.

The amazing restaurant dinner you had last week won’t be of much use to hackers, but basic personal information might. Is it really necessary to mention your marital status or place of birth, argues Cleary? “Leaving those facts out will reduce the possibility that thieves would be able to reverse-engineer security questions to access your online banking and other accounts,”

Conclusion

In today’s world, using social media to communicate and work is inevitable. Of course, there are always some online thieves that we know as hackers who are just trying to steal someone’s information to threaten and blackmail ordinary people or even the authorities. So, in order to be safe from being hacked, we shall strengthen the security of our social media accounts. Hope the provided information would be practical and helpful to you.