How to avoid getting hacked on Facebook and other social websites

It doesn't matter if it's Facebook, twitter, ask.fm, instagram or another popular social media site. Hacking is almost the same for all.

The more active and popular you are on a social websites, the more chances you have of getting hacked or impersonated. 

Hackers usually have a purpose when they target you. They either want to spy on your conversations (most likely someone you know in real life) or take advantage of your account.

To impersonate ones account means to use the real account's information (photos, personal info) and create a fake account with that information.

For a hacker, it's easy to impersonate since they will already have your account and won't have any risk of being labeled a fake account as everybody knows YOU'RE the owner of that account..

To avoid being hacked, you should be aware how to avoid being hacked. These tips will come in handy on every social website you go and you will be invincible. (Almost.)

Security

One of the first most important step to avoid getting hacked is maintaining your account's security. The more security your account has, the less chances you have of getting hacked.

Here are tips how you can improve your account's security.

1. Do not share password with ANYONE: Everywhere you go, you will be told not to share your password with ANYONE. Heck, even when you sign up the first thing they tell you is to not share your password with anyone. The reason is because 3% accounts on Facebook are hacked EVERYDAY by simply knowing the password.

2. Do not use same password/email on multiple websites: There are many social network sites out there, when you sign up. Make sure to use another password or email! The reason is because if you get hacked on one of them, the hacker may try to use the same email and password to log on to a different website and if you have the same password/email then you're screwed. 

3. Do not use just letters in your password:*Recommended*Make sure to include numbers, lower or upper case letters and symbols with your password. A long password consisting of only letters will not keep you safe from hackers as few hackers use a software known as " Dictionary attack " where they use every word in the dictionary to attempt to log on.

But few websites lock your account after few amount of failed logins, so this is less likely to happen.

4. Enable login notifications:*Recommended* Make sure you have Login notifications enabled on Facebook, as it warns you when your account is accessed from a different computer or mobile device.

• Email notifications: When a new device logs into your computer, it will send you a email which you registered your facebook account with and also a notification. 
• Text message/Push notification: You need to link your phone number to your facebook account before you can use this feature. It sends you a text message when a new device logs into your account, keep you up-to date all the time. 

5. Don't add strangers: Basically the concept of Social networking sites are to meet new people or keep up with your real life friends on the internet. Though this doesn't mean you should accept EVERYONE'S request.

" Never trust a beautiful woman, especially one who's interested in you. " - Magneto

The above quote explains the fake accounts being created on Social websites everyday to attract attention/persuade others.

6. Be alert at all times: If you're suspicious your account's been hacked, check your active sessions. You should have 2 or either 1 active sessions. (mobile and desktop) if there's more and you don't recognize it, end their session by clicking the X and change password immediately!

7. Change your password every 2 weeks: See step 2 on deciding what password to use. When you use a completely new password, make sure you write it down so you don't end up forgetting it!

8. Don't click unknown links: Common method of hacking is known as " Phishing " They make a duplicate website exactly the same as Facebook and tell you to login. Once you type your information down, it goes straight to them. Make sure to check if it's a valid Facebook link and a not a fake one!

You can test if it's fake or genuine by typing the wrong email/pass, if it doesn't say " incorrect email/pass " the link is fake and not the real Facebook.

9. Do not open your account at internet cafes: No matter what happens, do not ever make the mistake of opening your account at a internet cafe. The reason is most internet cafes have spyware installed on their computers and collect information of the websites you visit and everything you type down.

Methods of Hacking

As the saying goes " You can not fight Fire with Fire " It is impossible to hack a hacker because they know how the system works. But it doesn't mean you need to become one in order to be safe!
Hacking is illegal and you can face consequences. When you learn how hackers operate, you don't need to worry about being hacked as you already will know when someone's trying to hack you. ;)

Key-loggers: Keyloggers are spyware softwares that note down EVERYTHING you type down. This is something beginners use and it's easy to spot the software versions of these. This is main reason why you should not use public computers.

Phishing (Duplicate websites): Clone website to trick you into entering your information down.
It's easy to spot these by looking at the address.

• www.facebook.com/*insert url here* (Real)
• www.faseebook.com/*insert url here* (Fake)

Spyware/Viruses: Be careful when downloading from unknown websites or links, make sure to have your anti-virus enabled and if you don't have any anti-virus it would be wise to install it ASAP as it can help you get rid of many viruses that are un-detectable.



Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comment box below. :)

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