10 Effective Ways to Protect Your Facebook Account from Getting Hacked

Phishing is one of the most common ways Facebook accounts get compromised. Hackers send emails, messages, or notifications that look exactly like they are from Facebook — but they lead to fake login pages designed to steal your credentials.

Signs of a phishing attempt:

• The sender's email address does not end in @facebook.com or @facebookmail.com
• The link URL looks slightly off (e.g., faceb00k.com or login-facebook.net)
• The message creates urgency: "Your account will be disabled in 24 hours!"
• You are asked to re-enter your password for no clear reason

Always go directly to facebook.com by typing it in your browser instead of clicking links in emails or messages.

5. Keep Your Email and Phone Number Secure

Your Facebook account recovery options — your email address and phone number — are just as important as the account itself. If a hacker gains access to your email, they can reset your Facebook password.

Best practices:

• Enable 2FA on your email account as well
• Use a dedicated email address for your Facebook login that you do not share publicly
• Keep your phone number current so you can recover your account if needed
• Avoid listing your phone number publicly on your Facebook profile

6. Remove Suspicious Third-Party Apps

Over time, you may have granted access to dozens of apps, games, and websites through Facebook Login. Each of these apps can potentially access your account data — and if any of them get hacked, your Facebook information could be exposed.

How to audit your connected apps:

1. Go to Settings → Apps and Websites
2. Review the list of active apps
3. Remove any app you no longer use or do not recognize
4. Click on each app to see what permissions it has

Only grant app permissions that are truly necessary. If a quiz app is asking for access to your friend list or private messages, that is a warning sign.

7. Use Facebook's Security Checkup Tool

Facebook provides a built-in Security Checkup feature that guides you through the most important account protection steps in one place.

How to access it:

1. Go to Settings → Security and Login → Security Checkup

This tool will walk you through reviewing your login methods, checking where you are logged in, setting up alerts for unrecognized logins, and reviewing your privacy settings. Running this checkup every few months is a quick and effective way to keep your account defenses up to date.

8. Turn On Login Alerts

Facebook can notify you every time someone logs into your account from a new device or browser. If it is not you, you will know immediately.

How to enable login alerts:

1. Go to Settings → Security and Login
2. Under "Setting Up Extra Security", find "Get alerts about unrecognized logins"
3. Choose to receive alerts via Facebook notifications, email, or Messenger

Set up notifications through at least two channels. This way, even if one method fails, you will still be alerted.

9. Avoid Logging In on Public or Shared Devices