Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet, if not the most popular. Millions of people use FB each day to keep in touch with friends, share photos and ideas, and learn about current events.
While the value of Meta, FB’s parent company, has plummeted recently, it is not going the way of Friendster anytime soon, meaning it would not go extinct or become obsolete overnight.
Still, Facebook and its billions of users are favorite targets of hackers. Thus, FB users should be aware of the ways hackers can exploit the platform and how to protect themselves from attacks.
Hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated, too, as they use a variety of methods to exploit social media platforms.
They can steal personal information, post fake news, and spread malware. They can also exploit Facebook’s security features to gain access to users’ accounts.
For example, hackers can use Facebook’s login credentials to access other accounts or steal money or other valuable items from users.
Last year, FB came under attack on 25 September with the personal information, including email addresses and passwords of approximately 50 million users being stolen.
The following 3 October, the social media platform was hacked again and the data of 150 million users was compromised. In both hacking incidents, the company came up with a blanket statement that it is investigating the incidents to prevent their reoccurrence.
In a nutshell, protecting one’s self on social media entails doing the following: Using a strong password; keeping account information secret; always updating account security settings; using a firewall; and using security software to protect other devices like smartphones and tablets.
Of course, the most effective way of not being victimized by hackers is to stop having a digital footprint or turning one’s back on networking platforms altogether.
A lot of people have actually done this — living lives as digital pariahs, shunning not only social media but even the digital mode of payments.
“Life is simpler when you pay for everything with whatever cash you have on hand,” says Ronaldo Flores, a former gamer who now eschews any Internet presence.
“E-cash has really taken off during the pandemic, but the feel, smell and touch of real cash — especially with those new polymer banknotes makes us want to go old-school,” he added.