Facebook Has Been Hacked. What Will You Do?

This week's apparent hacking of Facebook accounts is a good reminder that all of us are vulnerable to account theft. Here are the steps to take if you think your Facebook account has been hacked.

We're still waiting to hear back from Facebook about the attack we reported yesterday, but the ongoing discussion in Facebook's Help Center indicates that it's related to a syncing issue involving the contacts in some mobile phones. If you have been hit by the current attack, turn off the sync-contacts function on your mobile Facebook app. We'll update our earlier post as soon as we get confirmation from Facebook.

In the meantime, here are basic steps you should take whenever you think your account has been hacked.

Change Your Password

This should be obvious. if someone or something has access to your account, end it by changing your Facebook password.

Think of password changes like drug screenings at work: You should do it on a regular basis and after there's been an accident. If you think someone has obtained your password (most likely through a phishing scam that lured you to a site that looks like Facebook) that's the accident. Time to change.

Reclaim Your Account

It's possible whoever took over your account will have beaten you to changing the password. Fortunately, Facebook has a process for reclaiming accounts. Follow the steps in the Help Center, which will verify your identity and re-secure your account.

Update Your Security Software

Don't gamble that the Facebook problem will remain just a Facebook problem. Update your security software (or, if, God forbid, you're not using one, get a package immediately). To date, most of the major Facebook viruses and attacks have been limited to sending messages and friend requests, but that is likely change.

Trim The App Fat

Go through the list of apps you have installed on Facebook and cut any that you don't use regularly, and certainly any that with hindsight look suspicious. Each of your apps can compromise your security and privacy. Facebook has a primer on how to remove unwanted apps.

Tell Your Friends

Make sure you alert potentially vulnerable contacts as soon as you know your account has been compromised. It's also a good idea to let them know the steps you took to fix the account and, if you can figure it out, what worked.