BBB Offers Tips to Protect Social Media Accounts Following Facebook Security Breach

Thursday, October 04, 2018
GoLocalWorcester Business Team

Following a security breach on Facebook that affected as many as 90 million accounts, the Better Business Bureau is offering tips on how to protect social media accounts.

The security breach allowed hackers to “steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over people's accounts.”

"As a result, around 90 million people will now have to log back into Facebook, or any of their apps that use Facebook Login," wrote Guy Rosen, vice president of product management, in a blog post on Facebook. 

The BBB offered the following tips:

• Be Cautious With Your Personal Information. Never give out personal information, such as your full name, telephone number, address, etc. to a person or business you don’t know or trust.
• Don’t Friend People You Don’t Know. Be extra cautious of what you click on from “friends” you don’t recognize. Messages that are brief or come from people you don’t expect to hear from might be scams that include links to malicious sites.
• Protect Your Password. Use different passwords for each social media/email account and avoid including your name or common words. Never share your password with anyone; if you have to share it - change it immediately after.
• Use Extra Security Features. Turn on two-factor authentication or set up a security code.
• Log Out of Facebook. When using a computer you share with other people, log out.
• Understand Your Privacy Settings. Familiarize yourself with your privacy settings and revisit them frequently. As Facebook adds new features, it makes decisions about settings which you may or may not like.
• Third Party Apps. Never allow a third party app to gain access to your personal information. These apps will have rights to post anything on your behalf, which could get dangerous.