Facebook profiles are up for sale. In fact, a hacker known as Kirllos recently offered to sell 1.5 million of them for a hefty fee. Turns out the hacker didn’t actually have information on quite that many accounts, but he did start selling at least 1,000 accounts, priced by the number of connections. The powers that be at Facebook were able to identify the thief, but only after he sold a few thousand profiles. However, since he is located in Russia, it’s unlikely he will be punished for his crime.
Facebook has since announced increased security to help prevent this from happening again. For example, its software will let users know, either via an email or a text message, if their account is accessed from an unknown device. It will also check for concurrent log-ins and ask the user security questions if it notices them. This can help to prevent a fraudulent user from accessing the account from another computer while the legitimate user is online.
Even with all of these new security measures in place, the best way to protect your Facebook account is still just to use a little bit of common sense. What that means is that you should use a very secure password; one that a thief isn’t likely to guess and that is not likely to be guessed by automated software that runs lists of letters and numbers. To make a secure password, use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters that are in no way related to you or to your life. Don’t use your birth date, the name of the college you attended, your hometown or anything like that – despite the fact that those things are easy to remember.
And, while you’re thinking about it, don’t forget to leave personal details off of your wall, such as where you are, where you’re going for the evening, what your birthday is and who you are in a relationship with. If you don’t, you risk someone finding out these details, no matter how much you try to lock down your security settings. That way, even if someone unauthorized to is able to access your account, they won’t really have very much to work with. Also, don’t make your Facebook password the same as the password of any of your other accounts, particularly not your financial accounts.
The best way to share personal details with another individual is always in person – and in a low voice if you are in a public place as identity theft can start anywhere. To learn about the best identity protection companies and what they can do to protect your identity just visit our homepage and view our easy to read comparison chart.