Facebook is a free and widely used social networking site that allows users to connect with one another and share content with their friends and family. Because Facebook is such a prominent social media network, fraudsters are increasingly interested in hacking Facebook accounts.
Facebook Hacks and Vulnerabilities:
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Weak Passwords
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Phishing Emails
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Man in The Middle (MITM)
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Remote Keyloggers
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Denial of Service (DoS)
If the password is simple and regularly used, such as a nickname, phone number, partner’s name, or pet name, hackers can easily steal Facebook accounts by guessing or performing a brute force assault. Once a hacker obtains your password, they can access your account and do whatever they want with it.
How to Protect Against Weak Passwords
Users should use a strong password that includes numbers, symbols, space bars, as well as lower and uppercase letters. It’s critical that people create a separate password for their Facebook account from the one they use for their other social media or email accounts.
This reduces the possibility of your account being hacked. HaveIBeenPwned.com is a popular service to check if your accounts have been hacked. You can check here to see if your credentials have been made public.
Attackers can easily hack Facebook accounts using phishing emails. To make it appear as if the emails were issued from Facebook, an attacker can construct phony emails. Here are some samples of emails that could be sent:
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Friendship requests, messages, events, images, and videos are all sent as notifications.
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You made false assertions that you violated their Community Standards.
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Warnings that if you don’t update your account or perform particular actions, something bad will happen.
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Offers or claims that appear to be too good to be true (such as winning a Facebook lottery).
How to Protect Against Phishing Attacks
In order to spot phishing emails, users need be trained and informed about their characteristics. Here’s what you can do to help:
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If you receive a strange email, do not click on any links or open any attachments.
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Do not reply to questionable emails, particularly those that want your password, social security number, or credit card information.
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Entering personal information via a pop-up screen is not a good idea (note: legit companies would never ask for personal information via a pop-up screen)
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Keep an eye out for any misspellings in the email’s content.
3. Man In The Middle (MITM)
When a user unwittingly connects to a false WiFi network, a man in the middle attack can occur. Hackers can also use this method to gain 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 common for it to redirect you to a login page where you’ll be required to enter your email address and a password before being permitted access to the internet. Again, the attacker has recorded this information without your knowledge and can use it to test your login credentials on other social networking networks.
How to Protect Against 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 utilizing a VPN to ensure the security of your connection.
A hacker must first gain access to your mobile device or laptop in order to install software that will record whatever you type on it. Anything written (passwords, login credentials, bank information, etc.) is captured and can be accessed by the hacker after the malware is installed. An attacker can use this technique to breach Facebook accounts invisibly. If an attacker has gained access to your laptop and installed keylogger software, for example, everything you enter will be recorded for the attacker. Your Facebook credentials, as well as your bank credentials, email accounts, and any other accounts you have, would be recorded.
How to Protect Against Remote Keyloggers
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Third-party keyboard programs should not be used.
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Because the keylogger may be incorporated in the attachment, do not open any attachments or click on links in the email message.
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Anti-spyware programs can assist in detecting, disabling, and quarantining software-based keyboard loggers (Norton)
5. Denial of Service (DoS)
A denial of service attack “is a malicious attempt to prevent legitimate end users from accessing a targeted system, such as a website or application” (AWS). To overwhelm Facebook, attackers often generate a huge volume of packets or requests. Users will have trouble accessing Facebook and will be unable to log in if this type of attack occurs.
How to Protect Against Denial of Service Attacks
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Keep an eye on the network to see what normal inbound traffic looks like.
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Install a firewall for web applications.
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Understand the warning indications of a denial of service assault so you can respond as quickly as possible.
Final Thoughts on Facebook Hacks and How to Prevent Them
These are the five most prevalent vulnerabilities used by hackers to hack Facebook, as well as how to defend yourself against each one. There are undoubtedly many more techniques to hack Facebook accounts, including some that are not yet publicly disclosed.
Hackers are constantly one step ahead of the game when it comes to developing new approaches in areas where prevention may not be possible at first. Since a result, users and organizations (as the last vulnerability is aimed at organizations) should do everything possible to guarantee that their account and website are secure.
The Item and Information Block 