precautions while using facebook

Facebook security is challenging, because the social network is like a bunch of big cities all mashed together. And since we know how much bad stuff happens in big cities, why should Facebook be any different? Scam artists and identity thieves are constantly preying on unsuspecting Facebook users, sharing bogus links and asking for likes that lead to virus attacks, Facebook account takeovers, fake Wall posts or even malevolent programs that can let hackers break into your home computer.

Facebook also said it has more security features planned for mobile devices. Fraudsters often target cell phones and tablets because many users still arent as security conscious about their mobile devices as they are about their home and business computers. One incident that drew a lot of attention in November 2011 involved fraudsters hacking into a large number of Facebook user accounts and posting pornographic images on their profile pages.

Facebook now allows users to browse the social network over a secure connection called https. By default, this option is turned off, but you can easily turn it on by going to your Account Settings page and clicking Security on the left sidebar. Next, click Edit to the right of Secure Browsing and check, Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) when possible. When you click the Save changes button, youre done. Turning on secure browsing will make it harder for hackers to steal your Facebook login information when you are using Facebook on a public wifi network. It basically encrypts the data you send to Facebook.

Also on the Security page of your Account Settings page, you can turn on login notifications, which means Facebook will notify you by email when anyone tries to log on to your Facebook account from a new device that Facebook has not seen you use before. Basically, this means youll get notified if someone is using your Facebook account so you can reset your password quickly and keep them from getting in again.

Youll be sorry you didnt do this if your Facebook account gets hijacked or hacked. The security question not only might help prevent hacks, it also might help restore your account if you do get shut out for any reason. All you have to do is click Edit next to Security Question on your Account Settings Security page, then choose one of the half dozen personal questions Facebook offers. The answer you provide could help Facebook verify your real identity as the account owner if someone hijacks your account.

Facebook tends to revise its site a lot and when that happens, it sometimes resets everyones default privacy sharing options. Facebook defaults tend to overshare your personal information, so if you havent looked at yourFacebook privacy settingsin a while, you really should review them. At the very least, make sure your default sharing option is set to Friends and not Public. And be sure to use the audience selector tool when you post material if you want tomake Facebook privateso viewing is restricted to only your friends.

Do not share your personal information with a website you do not trust. If you are sharing you personal details social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter etc then make sure to customize your security settings and only allow people you trust to view this info.

Make use of the privacy settings of your social networking account. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have very strong privacy settings; make sure to set your privacy settings whenever you are sharing new pictures, posts limiting the view to close friends or family.

Be cautious before accepting any random friend request you have. Do not accept a friend request until and unless you really know that person. Do not make friends with people you do not know as this might land you in trouble some day. These strangers can access your personal information, view your photos and use it for some nasty purposes.

Never use the same passwords that you use at work on a social networking site. Try to avoid mentioning where you work; so that if you mention something you thought innocent (but that might be valuable information for hackers) they will not know who to target. Be wary of what youre posting, if you use your pets name as a password anywhere do not post about it on your social networking sites naming it.