[MUST SEE] How to Retrieve and Secure your Hacked Facebook Account

Posted by E.L.E.X on March 15 2021 under Tech/Cybersecurity

Imagine chilling on a Monday afternoon, and suddenly you get a text from a friend (an angry one at that) accusing you of flirting with his girlfriend on Facebook. But you never opened Facebook. And then you realize that your Facebook account was Hacked.

Not exactly what you want to hear on a Monday(Me too). So I did a lot of research as to how I can recover my account seeing as the hacker had changed my email and mobile number so standard recovery methods wouldn`t work for me. Finally using the below methods, I was able to recover my account.

Today, I will guide you on how you can secure your Facebook account from hackers and keep your data safe. But what if your Facebook account is already hacked?

I know what you are thinking,

“Isn’t that Facebook’s job to keep our accounts safe” or “That’s what passwords & OTP’s are for (DUH..!!)”. Well, you are right. It’s Facebook’s job to keep your profile or account safe on Server Side Secure, and it’s your job to secure your Facebook account on the Client side.

My facebook account was hacked. What can I do now?

Note: If you are being blackmailed or harassed by a hacker, then you need to contact the nearest cybersecurity police station as well as the facebook support centre. They can help you find out who and how the hack happened and help you take legal action against that criminal hacker.

For other people following methods are recommended:

Method 1) Are You Still Logged in Facebook?

Before you try the advanced methods to recover your Facebook account, check if you are still logged into Facebook on any of your devices. It can be any device - phone or a laptop or tablet etc.

If you can still access your Facebook account from somewhere, you might be able to “recover and reset” your Facebook password. In most cases, you will need to answer a security question or provide a security code from your email or phone. This will be an easy step as you know the security question’s answer or you could just give the OTP (One Time Password) if you have your cellphone with you.

This is the easiest method to recover your Facebook profile, and the chances will be slim, but still, it’s worth a try.

Method 2)Try the Default Facebook Account Recovery Options

If “method 1” did not work for you, then your situation might require some more technical steps. Don`t worry. It’s easy to do.

Step 0) Use a device and a location which you have previously used to login to Facebook. This will help recognize Facebook and help you safely recover your Facebook account.

Step 1) You need to identify your Facebook account. To recover your Facebook account, head to the Facebook recover page and use an email address or phone number you previously added to your Facebook account. You can also use your Facebook username to identify your account.

Step 2) Once you have successfully identified your Facebook account, you will see a summary of your Facebook profile. Before you proceed, check if this is your Facebook account and verify if you still have access to the email address and phone listed below.

If you No longer have access to this recovery method? Go to “method 3” of this article.

Step 3) If all looks well with the contact details that you provided Facebook, then click on Continue. Facebook will send you a security code to reset and recover your Facebook profile.

Step 4) Get the code from your email and use it to reset and recover your account. Now Enter the Facebook security code you received in your email or via text.

Step 5)Congratulations You have successfully recovered your Facebook account. At this point, you can set a new password. Make sure you set up a strong password and take the necessary precautions to secure your WhatsApp account.

Note: If you do not receive the code, then check the spam folder of your email. Sometimes the mail is sent in the spam folder.

The other option is to click on the “Didn’t get a code?” option which will take you back to the previous page. You can try again and get a security code on your device or mail.

We recommend that you enable the two-factor authentication option in Facebook security settings, so this won’t happen again.

Also, Read-

[MUST SEE] 10 Methods to hack Netflix and get a FREE premium account

Method 3) Was Your Contact Information Changed or is no longer available?

Sometimes its no longer possible to use the previously linked emails and mobile numbers to recover the Facebook profile. This is because the hacker might have changed this information. Or if the account is very old, then your mobile or email address might have been long forgotten.

To start the recovery process, click the link “No longer have access to these” option? In the bottom left on the reset password page.

Facebook will now ask you for a new email address or a phone number. Let Facebook know how they can reach you in regards to recovering your Facebook account.

If you have set up Trusted Contacts, then you can ask their help to recover your Facebook account. You will need to remember at least one full name out of the three to five Trusted Contacts to reveal information on all of them.

Note: You only need three codes to recover your Facebook account.

Ask your trusted contacts for help to recover the Facebook account.

If you didn’t set up Trusted Contacts, you might be given the option to answer the security questions that you had set up previously. Or questions like:

When was the account made year and month
where was the account made e.t.c

After answering the questions correctly, you can now reset your password on your account.

Method 4) Your Facebook Account Hacked and Is It Sending Out Spam and Virus?

If your account was hacked and compromised by a dangerous hacker and it is currently posting spam and viruses while you can no longer access and stop the hacker. You can do the following.

Report your Facebook account as compromised and block it from posting and sending any messages.

See the image below:

Report a compromised Facebook account.

This will start a similar process to “method 2”. While you will be using the same information as described in “method 2”. You will also be able to use either a current or an old Facebook password to recover your account.

This can be very useful when you want to stop an ongoing hack.

Method 5) Contact Facebook support and security team for Account Recovery support

If all your attempts of recovering your Facebook account have failed then. You can try emailing security@facebookmail.com to explain your situation and recover your account.

Recently they have given a new option to recover your Facebook account by providing your identity proof.

Note: If you didn’t use your real name while making the Facebook account, then your hopes for recovering the account are close to zero by this method.

Click on the following link – Recover facebook account
Fill the form and attach your government-issued ID proof.
Send the form to Facebook and wait a couple of days. It might even take a week.
Then once Facebook verifies the necessary information, it will send you an e-mail about recovery.

If All Else Fails, Create a New Facebook Profile

Sometimes it’s not possible to recover Facebook accounts. This might be due to several reasons. Usually, its because their contact information was outdated, the recovery codes Facebook provided were not accessible because of the hacker. Or sometimes the company will never reach out to verify your identity. Unfortunately, in some cases giving up is the only option since its not worth all the hassle.

Create a new account, add several valid contact details and trusted contacts. Set proper recovery methods as well as security questions, secure your Facebook account by checking each of the security settings on the Facebooks security option, and rebuild your profile correctly from scratch.

If you do discover another way to contact Facebook or recover your Facebook account which we have failed to mention here, please share it in the comments below or mail us at elextechnologies4@gmail.com

Note: If you managed to regain access to your account and if you suspect that your Facebook account was hacked, immediately change your password and update your contact information. These are critical steps in securing your Facebook account. Be sure to remove any email addresses or phone numbers that are not your own or that you can no longer access.

Now you need to secure those attack vectors and ensure that they cannot be exploited to hack your Facebook account.

1) Your phone

Your phone needs to be at the highest level of security you can maintain.
Keep a good pattern lock.
Keep a good antivirus installed like Norton and set it up properly.
Keep your apps up to date.
Keep your phone OS up to date.
Make sure your OTPS and messages are safe and cannot be accessed by others.

2) Facebook application and your Facebook account

Keep two-step verification on. You can find this setting in Facebook settings >> two-step verification.
Also, set your phone with an authenticator app to make Facebook more secure.
On the security settings option in Facebook settings.
Set the privacy settings appropriately.
Protect the Facebook app with app lock security application.

4) Your laptop and PC

Make sure your pc and laptop have a good antivirus.
Make sure they have a strong password with the right mix of unique characters and alphabets
Do not save passwords in browsers.
Always check the URL of the website to ensure it is facebook.com
Always ensure that https is on.
Enable login approvals by your mobile phone.
Update Windows regularly.
Scan your system for viruses, malware and keyloggers.

4) The apps and links you click on

Beware of forwarded spam messages on Facebook.
Always use antivirus and never click and download anything from unknown links.
Do not install apps from outside play store. Especially from random sites which tell you to download and install a particular app to access something.

5) Change your Password Every Quarterly

Always change your account’s password every quarterly or every six months because of obvious security reasons.
This may take some time to remember the new password, but it’s a safe practice to do so.
Don’t use obvious passwords like name or birthdates. This is as good as not changing the password and makes your Facebook account as easy target having multiple vulnerabilities and loopholes.

Also, Read-

How to Recover/Track Your Lost Android Phone Without IMEI Number

Why do hackers hack a Facebook account

All the sensitive information stored on your Facebook account becomes available including all your chats, images, documents, files, videos, etc. and can all be used by hackers for social engineering.

This information is also used for blackmail and other purposes. The idea is to make you do what the hackers want you to do.

Sometimes they ask for money. Other times they just send spam and viruses via your account. This way, you will be blamed, and they won’t have to take responsibility. In other words, your account will be banned by Facebook and not theirs.

If you are a celebrity or if you own a business page, then those can be the real target of those hackers. Many hackers are hired to defame many celebrities. Revealing pics and scandals get a lot of attention as well as money in the black market. This types of hacks are mainly for destroying the public image of any certain individual or a group. This is also a severe crime in many countries, so be aware.

This is how you can secure your Facebook account and stay safe and carefree. Hope you guys enjoyed the article.

Do comment if you have any suggestions and also secure your accounts as soon as possible.

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