Technological advancement and hacking have always gone hand-in-hand. As new technologies evolve, hacking methods improve. The popularity of social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others created a new breeding ground for hackers and hacking methods. Although some hackers claim they do it for ‘fun’, usually, hacking is done for malicious intentions.
What’s so interesting in Hacked Facebook Accounts?
There is no limit to the type of information people share on their Facebook accounts- the location of your house, the car you have, your future plans for a vacation, photographs of your children in the pool, the family dog, valuable possessions.
People like to share this information, bragging to their friends, without even realizing that there is someone out there planning their next burglary based on that information. Other cases where people were known to use hacked Facebook accounts for internet shaming and bullying, usually by and of teenagers and young adults. The result is always the same, the original account owner suffers from criminal activity that might also lead to the loss of a life.
Whatever the reason is, it is a fact that hacked Facebook accounts have become a global and growing problem. Even the most technological people are at risk of getting their account hacked. All it takes is one click of the mouse.
Hacking methods and how to avoid them
There are many ways to hack Facebook accounts. Some methods are complicated and required a skilled hacker. Unfortunately, other methods are so simple it could be done by practically anyone with minimal technical knowledge and curiosity. Today, you could easily find websites offer free hacking tools, one google search away.
Perhaps the simplest method of hacking requires what is called “social engineering”. It requires some knowledge of the victim, and some personal information- names of pets, children, spouses, and important dates that could easily be matched to create the desired password. This type of hack will be used by someone who is close to you, and normally involves getting personal information or chat logs.
Other types of hacks, are only slightly more difficult and require some technical knowledge. Phishing is one of the most popular methods and it requires creating a fake website that looks like the website you’re trying to access. The URL, which gives a fake or different website address, will usually disclose such websites. However, people who are not technological would easily miss these hints.
Another popular hacking method is using a keylogger. Keyloggers are programs that run in the background and record the keys pressed by the user. Since keylogging is usually an additional program, these methods are often used on public computers, such as libraries, internet cafes, etc. One program can record usernames and passwords of endless amounts of people, resulting in numerous hacked facebook accounts.
However, it seems as though the most popular method of hacking done today, are in-website malicious programs. These programs disguise themselves as apps, tricking the user into pressing a link to install them. The malware then takes over the hacked Facebook account, duplicating itself, and sending a link to the user’s friends list.The result is horrific. The program quickly spreadsitself across the web, becoming almost unstoppable.
What should you do in case you got hacked?
First of all, don’t panic. Take a deep breath. Then go to your setting menu. Choose the ‘security’ option and click on ‘where you’re logged in’. This will show you all the devices from which your account has been accessed. You should click ‘log out’ and immediately change your password. You should also report to Facebook that your account has been hacked.
In any case, don’t press on links that seem suspicious and try to avoid logging onto your page from random computers. Change your password regularly and be web-smart.
Written By: Mark Holland
I love tech and gaming, and am always looking for the 'next big thing'...