How to Protect Your Facebook Account

Your Facebook account holds a treasure trove of personal connections, photos, and private messages, making its security a top priority. Protecting it from unauthorized access is easier than you might think, and this guide provides a complete walkthrough of every essential step you need to take. We'll cover everything from strengthening your login credentials to recognizing and avoiding common scams.

Lock Down Your Login Credentials

The first line of defense is your login itself. If a hacker can't get past the front door, the rest of your information stays safe. Taking a few minutes to fortify your login process can save you from a major headache down the road.

Create a Strong, Unique Password

Weak or reused passwords are the most common reason accounts get compromised. A strong password is one that is hard for both humans and computers to guess. Forget simple words or predictable sequences.

• Length is Strength: Aim for a minimum of 12 characters. The longer, the better.
• Mix It Up: Combine uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols (like !, @, #, $).
• Make it Memorable (to you): Consider using a passphrase. This is a sequence of random words that is easy for you to remember but phenomenally difficult for a machine to crack. For example, "Correct!Horse-Battery,Staple" is far more secure than "P@ssw0rd123".
• Avoid Personal Information: Never use your name, birthdate, pet's name, or other easily discoverable information.

If you have trouble creating and remembering unique passwords for every account (which you absolutely should), a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden is an excellent investment. They generate and store highly secure passwords for you, so you only have to remember one master password.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-Factor Authentication is arguably the single most important security feature you can enable. It acts as a second lock on your account. Even if someone steals your password, they can't get into your account without a second piece of information - a code sent to your phone or generated by an app.

Facebook offers a few 2FA methods:

• Authenticator App (Recommended): This is the most secure method. Apps like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy generate a time-sensitive, 6-digit code on your phone. You enter this code after your password when logging in from a new device.
• Text Message (SMS): Facebook will send a code to your phone number via text message. While better than nothing, this is less secure than an authenticator app because it's vulnerable to "SIM swapping" scams.
• Security Key: This is a physical hardware device (like a YubiKey) that you plug into your computer's USB port or tap on your phone to approve logins. It's the most secure option available and great for a high-value account.

How to Set Up 2FA:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy >, Settings.
2. Click on Security and Login.
3. Scroll down and find the Two-Factor Authentication section.
4. Click Edit next to "Use two-factor authentication."
5. Choose your preferred method (Authenticator App is a great starting point) and follow the on-screen instructions.

Make sure to save the recovery codes Facebook provides in a safe place. If you ever lose access to your phone, these codes will be your only way back into your account.

Turn On Login Alerts

Wouldn't you want to know immediately if someone tried to access your account? Login alerts do just that. Facebook will notify you via email or a notification if anyone logs in from an unrecognized device or browser. This gives you a chance to act fast, log the person out, and change your password.

How to Enable Login Alerts:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy >, Settings.
2. Click on Security and Login.
3. Under Setting Up Extra Security, find "Get alerts about unrecognized logins."
4. Click Edit and choose where you want to receive alerts (Facebook notifications, Messenger, and Email).

Master Your Privacy Settings with a Checkup

Beyond who can log in, it's just as important to control who can see your information. Facebook's Privacy Checkup tool is the perfect place to start. It walks you through your most important settings in a simple, guided way.

You can find it by clicking the question mark icon in the top right corner and selecting Privacy Checkup. Walk through each section:

Who can see what you share

This is where you set the default audience for your new posts. Are you someone who shares publicly, or just with your inner circle? Your options are typically:

• Public: Anyone on or off Facebook can see it.
• Friends: Only your Facebook friends can see it.
• Friends except...: Lets you hide a post from specific people.
• Specific friends: Only select people will see your post.
• Only me: Useful for saving things for later.

Setting this to Friends is a good default for personal accounts. Remember, you can still change the audience for any individual post as you create it.

How people can find you on Facebook

This section lets you decide who can send you friend requests and who can look you up using your email or phone number. Setting "Who can send you friend requests?" to Friends of Friends instead of "Everyone" can significantly cut down on spam and unwanted contact from strangers.

Your data settings on Facebook

Here you get a chance to review the information that third-party apps and websites can access. Take your time to review this list and remove any apps or websites you no longer use or recognize. Giving unnecessary permissions is a common way your data can be exposed.

Secure Your Profile and Tagging Settings

Your profile should be under your control. By adjusting your profile and tagging settings, you can prevent someone else from posting spam or inappropriate photos on your timeline without your approval.

Control Who Can Post on Your Profile

Do you really want anyone in your friends list to be able to post something directly onto your timeline? Maybe not. Go to Settings & Privacy >, Settings >, Profile and Tagging. The first option is "Who can post on your profile?" Change this from Friends to Only Me. Your friends can still tag you in posts, which brings us to the next point.

Enable Tag Review

This is a game-changer. Turning on tag review means that whenever someone tags you in a post or photo, it won't appear on your timeline until you manually approve it. This gives you complete veto power over what appears on your profile and helps maintain your online image.

How to Enable Tag Review:

1. Navigate to Settings & Privacy >, Settings >, Profile and Tagging.
2. Scroll down to the Reviewing section.
3. Turn on "Review tags that people add to your posts before the tags appear on Facebook."
4. Even more important, turn on "Review posts that you're tagged in before the post appears on your profile."

Recognize and Avoid Phishing and Other Scams

All the settings in the world won't help if you unknowingly give away your login information. Scammers use sophisticated tricks called "phishing" to try and steal your credentials. Here's what to look for:

Suspicious Emails or Messages

The scam often starts with a message designed to make you panic. It might say "Suspicious activity detected on your account" or "Your page is scheduled for deletion."

Look for these red flags:

• A sense of urgency: Scammers want you to act fast without thinking (e.g., "Click here to secure your account in the next 24 hours!").
• A suspicious link: Hover over the link before you click. Does the URL look real? A fake might be something like "facebook-security-check.info" instead of ending with "facebook.com."
• Requests for personal information: Facebook will never ask for your password via email.
• Poor grammar or spelling: Professional companies usually proofread their communications. Small errors are a big warning sign.

When in doubt, open a new browser tab and manually navigate to Facebook to check for any alerts. Never click links in a suspicious email.

Fake Friend Requests and Profiles

Scammers create fake profiles to trick you into connecting with them. Be wary of friend requests from people you don't know, especially if the profile has very few photos, a generic profile picture, or almost no friends in common. Often, these accounts are created to send you malicious links or scam you later. It's also wise to be cautious of a second friend request from someone you're already friends with, their original account may have been cloned.

Final Thoughts

Protecting your Facebook account comes down to a layered approach. By combining a strong password with two-factor authentication, carefully managing your privacy settings, and staying vigilant against common scams, you make your account an unattractive and difficult target for anyone with bad intentions.

For brands and creators whose Facebook page is the heart of their business, this security is non-negotiable. At Postbase, we understand that juggling multiple platforms presents unique challenges. Protecting your accounts is a core part of effective management, and our platform is built from the ground up to be secure and reliable. By centralizing your scheduling and engagement, we help creative teams work efficiently without compromising the security of their digital presence.