With so much content out there geared around protecting your Facebook account from being hacked and your data from being stolen, you might be wondering why exactly people choose to target and hack Facebook.
Before we consider some of the actions and motivations behind Facebook hackers, let’s first share the signs of a hacked Facebook.
What Does a Hacked Facebook Look Like?
More often than not, you will become aware of a hacked Facebook by noticing one or more posts from a friend, which doesn’t seem like it has been written by them.
With users more vigilant than ever, those whose accounts have been hacked will often be notified by friends – and will then share an update on their feed which tells others to ignore any contact or messages they receive.
You can tell a hacked Facebook by strange posts suddenly shared to the page, or direct messages asking for information or even money that don’t feel genuine.
Reasons Behind Facebook Hacking
Before we look at some of the motivations that driver Facebook hackers, we want to make it clear that there is no good reason to hack Facebook. Hacking Facebook is a crime and is not condoned by any motivation.
The most common reasons for Facebook hacking are financial – either collecting and selling user data or trying to exploit people out of their money by posing as “friends” who need a quick loan.
A hacked Facebook account may try to send you to a link which they pose as something else, but which will actually upload a virus onto your device which can track your movements on the device and seek to steal from you.
How to Protect Your Facebook
The best way to protect your Facebook from being hacked is with a strong password and two-factor authentication.
The aim of two-factor authentication is to prevent someone from being able to access your account, even if they are able to guess your password.
You should also seek to avoid unstable or public WiFi connections as you don’t know who has access to the information that’s entered within one of these connections, and you should be careful not to overshare and give away too much personal information on your Facebook or other social media accounts.
A big part of using Facebook to its full effect is browsing safely. Follow the above steps to avoid being hacked and take care whenever you receive unexpected and strangely worded messages from friends.
