Facebook has been under fire since the 2010s for violating its users’ privacy and selling information to buyers who use it for various purposes. The social media giant has racked up billions of dollars under its name as market value. Facebook acquired competitors like WhatsApp and Instagram under its name in recent years. It is not the first time Facebook has come under the glare of the public and national governments globally.
What is Happening With Facebook And Malware?
Many Facebook users from different countries have complained that their account’s credentials were stolen or their accounts were hacked. Upon investigation, especially in China recently, credentials of Facebook users have been stolen to advertise and purchase. Dubbed as SilentFade (short for “Silently running Facebook Ads with Exploits”), the malware jeopardised Facebook accounts and used promote malicious ads. This racket was worth up to $4 million after it was discovered.
This kind of malware was first discovered in 2018 by the social media giants. What this social media hacking malware first sneaks into is the users’ account, when they click upon an advertisement or something and gains access to their credentials through hacking.
What the malware later does is, it uses Facebook accounts payment details to purchase random ads and rack up bills in the users’ credit card. Not just credit cards, they used whatever payment details they could get their hands-on.
In front of these that seems to be happening across the world, what you could do to protect your account is:
Keep your Facebook credentials safe and secure with yourself. Do not share your Facebook account with anyone. If you manage an ad account page, do not give access to admins unnecessarily.
Keep Important data and figures related to your account or pages growth and sale guarded. Change your Facebook passwords regularly. Use password combinations that consist of uppercase, lowercase alphabets, numbers and symbols too, if allowed.
Watch your Facebook activity and what you click upon. Remove any Apps or even Business Apps that you do not recognise, and follow your instinct. You will find the option to delete apps in your Facebook settings page.
Use Two-factor authorisation for our personal as well as your business page. Two-factor authorisation means you have to log using your password and your phone. You will receive a verification code whenever you are logging in to your Facebook account. This provides extra security to your account and data.
Check your Facebook Ads billing from time to time. Facebook sets a default billing period after which you will receive the bill into your credit card and Facebook notification.
You will also receive a standard monthly bill for your Facebook Ads accounts’ expenditure. You can check your billing and transaction here.
Contact Facebook immediately when you notice suspicious activity or irregular/suspicious transaction bill under your name. Either over email or Livechat if possible, get facebook to take note of your accounts malware immediately here.
Lastly, while social media can be a great tool for marketing and reaching out to people for direct-to-consumer approaches, business accounts users must exercise caution. Keep your billing and transaction details in check for cybersecurity.
Stay tuned to Gamestanza for regular updates on Facebook, social media, and the gaming world.
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