• March 12, 2021
• Jude Ibeh, OP
• Views: 1352

Have You Been Hacked?

One fraudster hacked into my brother�s facebook account last night and it took me about 2 hours of fierce battle to dislodge him and recover the account. He already replaced the profile picture, changed the profile name (to �Black Hunter�), modified the basic contact infos and linked the account to his scam Instagram page.

It was at the point of him changing the email address and phone number associated with the account that I noticed and promptly alerted my brother to get the details I needed to recover the account from the hacker before it was too late. Luckily, I was on my PC when this happened and this made it possible for me to outwit him.

As we all know, even the most technological na�ve among person get to use Social Media in one way or another. Whenever we get online, we leave digital footprints. You should not worry much about that as they are not overly dangerous. However, the degree of its danger depends on what you do when you get online. If you do good there, you leave good footprints; if you do bad, you can guess what you get. The key is to USE RESPONSIBLY.

If you use Social Media and the Internet, do well to remember the following: HACKERS ARE ALWAYS AT WORK LOOKING FOR INFORMATION EITHER TO USE AS BLACKMAIL OR TO USE IN SCAMMING YOU. It is all about money. They are in business. So, let us take note of the following:

IF YOU USE FACEBOOK: 

1.         Got to your settings. That holds the key to whether you can be hacked easily or not. Facebook also controls Facebook Messenger. Do the following:

A.        I recommend you set your privacy options thus: 1. Who can see your friends list? Only Me. 2. Who can look you up using the email address you provided? Only Me. 3. Who can look you up using the phone number you provided? Only Me. 4. Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your Profile? No. You can do other settings here as you wish.

B.        Go to Tagging and Timeline Set most things to Only Me and put other things OFF or ON as you wish. The more you lock things up, the less possible it is for hackers to have access to your account.

C.        In Security and Login, Set up two-factor authentication. Go to Setting and Privacy > Settings > Security and Login > Two-Factor Authentication. This means that whenever you or someone logs in, from a device you did not register, Facebook will not allow that action, unless you verify and approve it. If you approve any device, it is registered, and you can always use that device to access your account. If the device is not yours, any person using that device, and has your password, can successfully log into your account. Hence, after using that device, make sure you log out successfully. Then go to your SECURITY & LOGIN, go to where you are Logged In, there you will see everywhere in the world your account is logged in. Delete the devices you do not need.

It takes less than 5 minutes to enable this �Two-Factor Authentication� or your account may be a toast forever if hackers ever manage to get in.

Other tips: If you use Messenger or Whatsapp

1.         Delete all compromising messages, videos, or voice notes after your interactions. I don�t see why you should keep them stored in the first place. Compromising messages are not just lewd or obscene materials. It includes your email address, personal cell phone number, bank details, medical information, etc.

2.         Whatsapp can be hacked, but it is more secure than Facebook Messenger. So, use it more for private messages.

3.         If you must engage in intimate discussions using Facebook Messenger, use the Secret Conversation mode. This you can find at the extreme right of the messenger app on your phone. It is an �I� enclosed in a circle. The advantage here is that your messages are more encrypted than the normal Messenger chat. The most beautiful part is that you can time how many minutes your discussion with the person can remain in the room. The minimum is 5 seconds, the maximum is 24 hrs. The discussion will delete itself both in your device and the person�s device at the set time. The setting is an alarm clock icon at your typing space in Secret Conversation. This feature is also coming to Whatsapp soon. Some Group Chats have it already.

4.         Use an Anti-virus Software which has Anti-phishing on your phone, laptop, and other devices. Some of them are free. Anti-phishing blocks hackers from seeing your email in the pool of mails they gather for scamming messages.

5.         If you use any social media platform, including your email, visit it frequently so that you can detect any unusual traffic. If you don�t need the account, delete it entirely.