5 Tips to prevent Facebook hacks

Facebook gives people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. It was founded almost six years ago and now has more than 250 million active users worldwide. Although Facebook is more popular in the US, it is continuously growing exponentially. Its popularity is one of the reasons why hackers have turned their attentions to Facebook and hundreds of its applications. With this in mind, it is very important that you protect your private information from Facebook hacks.

1. Hack proof your Facebook account with strong password. Many users give less importance to the passwords that they are using but actually, a robust password will likely save your day. A strong password is composed of both uppercase and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Password should be at least 8 characters long. Do not include any personal information in your password like your name, birth date, or address to make it difficult to guess. If you want to test the strength of your password, you can go to Microsoft Password Checker. It is also highly recommended to change your password every once in a while.

2. Protect the computer that you use against virus and spyware. In doing so, you also protect all the confidential information that is stored in your computer. Spyware and other malicious software can steal your confidential information like passwords, bank info, contact info, and private files by sending them to the hacker. When you use a friend’s computer or computer café, you have to make sure you log out properly and never click the ‘remember me’ option.

3. Tweak Privacy Settings. Although Facebook is working hard to keep the site safe, still there are multiple instances of security breach. It would greatly help if you fine-tune the Privacy Settings on Facebook to control what information is visible to the public. The more information you allow people to see, the greater the risk on these information stolen. The only way to keep your photos private on the internet is to not post it. Privacy settings do not stop hackers from getting your private photos and posting them somewhere else. In fact, people get more curious when they see photos they cannot access. So if you have photos or information that can potentially ruin your life and dignity, do not put them on the internet.

4. Be careful when playing applications. People of all ages are now crazy over different Facebook applications like Mafia Wars, Farmville, or Yoville to name few. And it is really addictive especially if you have a lot of friends playing these games. However, you need to understand that every time to install any of these applications you allow the creators of the application to access your personal information. It is advisable to use a different Facebook account to play games just to make sure your personal email or other information will not be compromised.

5. If at all possible, use Mozilla Firefox web browser. Aside from the thousands of add-ons that Firefox offer, security is one of the best reasons why you should switch now. Firefox has better pop-up blockers and does not allow spyware to get on your computer easily.

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