Why do hackers hack Facebook accounts?

Access to your personal information

Typically, cybercriminals hack your Facebook account to access your personal information, which they use to steal your identity. A hacker who gains access to your Facebook account can potentially obtain the following information about you (if it’s stored on Facebook):

  • Contact info: Names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses of you and your friends.
  • Financial info: Credit card numbers, bank account details and other sensitive financial information.
  • Login credentials: Usernames and passwords for other online accounts.
  • Personal info: Date of birth, gender, interests, hobbies and other personal details.
  • Photos and videos: Personal images and videos that you’ve uploaded may reveal details about your life, relationships and activities.

We’ll tackle how to prevent your Facebook account from getting hacked at the end of this article.

But for now, be cautious about the information you share or store on Facebook.

Access to your friends’ personal information

In addition to your data, hackers can also get info about your friends. Here are some of the sneaky methods these cyber villains use:

  • Contacts list: By accessing your contacts list, the hacker can view the stored personal details of your friends.
  • Private messages: By accessing your Facebook messages, cybercriminals can view conversations between you and your friends, including personal or sensitive information.
  • Friends’ profiles: By using your hacked Facebook account, the hacker can potentially access your friends’ profiles and view their personal information—such as posts, photos and videos.
  • Apps and services: If you and your friends have connected Facebook to other apps or services, the hacker can potentially access this information.

Be mindful of whom you add and accept as a friend on Facebook—as well as the information you share on the platform—as this can potentially put your and your friends’ info at risk.

Sharing spam on Facebook

Cyber villains enjoy hacking Facebook accounts to spread spam.

Here’s a taste of the sneaky trickery they use:

  • Phishing scams: Sending fraudulent messages or posts to your friends, tricking them into revealing personal or financial info (more on that below).
  • Malware: Sharing links or files that contain malware, which can infect your friends’ computers or mobile devices.
  • False information: Spreading false information, propaganda or misinformation to manipulate public opinion, potentially causing harm to individuals, groups or entire communities.
  • Advertising scams: Promoting scams, such as pyramid schemes, chain letters, or investment opportunities, to your friends.
  • Political propaganda: Spreading political propaganda or interfering with elections, potentially influencing the opinions or actions of your friends.

How do hackers access your Facebook account?

Hackers have technical superpowers and a mind that never stops solving puzzles, don’t be surprised by the many ways they can hack you, but be alert.

Here’s how they may do it:

Phishing attacks

Cybercriminals can use emails to hack into Facebook accounts through a process called phishing. Phishing scams are one of the most common scams to access accounts.

In a phishing scam, the hacker sends you an email that appears to be from a reputable source, such as Facebook, asking you to log into your account by clicking a link. The link, however, redirects to a fake login page that looks exactly like the real Facebook login page. The fake page then captures your user’s login credentials, which the hacker uses to gain access to the Facebook account.

Be vigilant when receiving emails that ask you to log into your Facebook account, especially if you didn’t expect to receive the email. Always check the sender’s email address and hover over links to verify that they lead to the legitimate Facebook website before entering any login information.

Reusing passwords can also put your accounts at risk—don’t feel bad, we’ve all done it! If you use the same password for many accounts, and someone gets a hold of it, they can use it to log into your Facebook account too.

It’s crucial to use a unique password for all your online accounts or use a password manager.

Malware

Hackers may infect your device with malware that steals your login credentials or records your keystrokes when you enter your password. To protect your device from malware, keep your software and operating system up-to-date and use anti-virus software.

Social engineering

Using social engineering, these tricky technicians con you into revealing your password or other sensitive information through a phone call, email or instant message.

Be cautious of unsolicited requests for personal info, and don’t reveal your password or other sensitive info to anyone.

Watch this video to see a real-life example of how social engineering works. It’s so good that we show it to our employees at IDShield on their onboarding!

Unsecured networks

Unsecured networks can also put your Facebook account at risk. If you log into Facebook on an unsecured network, such as a public Wi-Fi hotspot, a hacker on the same network may intercept your login credentials. Avoid logging into Facebook or entering sensitive information on unsecured networks.

Signs your Facebook has been hacked

If you’ve experienced any of the following signs, act immediately (but try not to panic!), as you may already be a victim.

Luckily for you, the next section is about what to do if it happens.

Unusual activity

Unusual activity on your Facebook account may indicate that it’s been hacked. This could include:

  • Unexpected changes to your password or account email.
  • Friend requests from people you don’t know or haven’t interacted with lately.
  • Changes to your profile info without your knowledge.

If your account has been inactive for a while and suddenly becomes active again, beware! This could also indicate hacking. Finally, if you can’t log in with your usual credentials, you may have been hacked.

Posts and messages you didn’t share

Suspicious posts or messages may also confirm a hacked account — unfamiliar posts on your timeline, messages you didn’t send or posts that contain spam or offensive language from people you don’t know.

If you have friends reporting messages from your account that you didn’t send, it most certainly has been hacked.

If you suspect a password from another account has been compromised, check out this article to check if a password has been hacked.

How to recover a hacked Facebook account

Report your hacked account to Facebook

From Facebook’s instructions, go to the Facebook Help Center and follow the steps to secure your account. The platform will ask you to change your password and review recent login activity.