The 7 First Steps To Take After Your Facebook Account is Hacked

Having your Facebook account hacked can be stressful. But don‘t worry – if you act fast, you can likely get it back under your control quickly.

I‘ll walk you through the 7 must-take steps to spring into action right away if you encounter any unauthorized access:

The 7 Vital Steps to Take if Hacked:

1. Attempt to Log In to Gauge Access
2. Reset Password or Recover Account
3. Remove Suspicious Third Party Apps
4. Log Out From All Devices
5. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
6. Notify Friends Who Interact With Account
7. Review Privacy Settings

I‘ll explain each in more detail below, along with some pro tips to lock down your account even further after following these initial response steps.

Identifying and responding quickly to any potential hacks minimizes the risk of issues like identity theft, damaged reputation, and even permanent account deletion. So let‘s get started securing your profile!

Step 1: Try Logging In to Gauge the Severity

First, attempt to login to your Facebook account like normal through the mobile app or website:

• If you get blocked by two-factor authentication, then no need to panic! Simply enter your special login code and regain access.
• If it logs you in successfully, scan for any suspicious activity under Settings, Security, Login Activity and remove anything unfamiliar.
• If you encounter password errors or get a disabled/deactivated account notification upon attempting to login, proceed to Step 2b for recovery instructions.

Logging in confirms whether unauthorized changes were made yet to lock you out completely. If access still works, continue urgently securing your account in the next steps.

Check for Suspicious Login Activity

While logged into your account, peek under the hood for anything suspicious lurking on your account:

1. Click top right icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
2. Go to Security > Where You‘re Logged In
3. Scan device names & locations – remove any you don‘t recognize by clicking "Not You?"

This kicks intruders logged into your account off while allowing you to stay signed in.

Step 2: Reclaim Access Via Password Reset

If your original login credentials suddenly stopped working, hackers likely changed your FB password to lock you out.

Regain access by resetting your password:

1. Click Forgot Password on Facebook login page
2. Enter your account email or mobile number when prompted
3. Follow instructions in password reset email from Facebook to create new password
4. Login with your new credentials

If prompted for a confirmation code during reset, check both your main and spam inboxes.

Still locked out? You will need to contact Facebook support directly and confirm your identity to recover account access.

Turn On Login Approval for Extra Security

You can add an optional layer of login protection via Facebook‘s Login Approvals which will require:

• Entering special passcode sent to your phone
• Confirming recognized devices
• Answering security questions

Having those extra barriers prevents unauthorized logins even if someone has your password.

Step 3: Revoke Suspicious App Permissions

Next, audit and remove any unfamiliar or questionable apps integrated with your Facebook profile:

1. Click Settings > Apps > Logged in with Facebook
2. Scan through your connected apps
3. Revoke access permissions on any unusual or suspicious ones

Doing so instantly cuts off backdoor access pathways hackers use to infiltrate accounts. Stick to only essential, trusted apps you actively use.

For example, a sneaky horoscope app could be quietly hoarding all your private data behind the scenes. Not worth the risk just to get vague predictions!

Step 4: Log Out All Other Sessions

Even after changing your password, unauthorized sessions may still be lingering logged into your account on various devices.

Purge them all by force logging out everywhere:

1. Click top right icon > Settings & Privacy > Security
2. Scroll down and click "Log Out Of All Sessions"

You‘ll stay logged into the current device being used while terminating any hacker connections. Essentially gives your account access a fresh start across the board.

Monitor Future Login Alerts

For ongoing protection, enable login alerts under Facebook Settings > Security > Login alerts.

Doing so will notify anytime someone signs into your account from:

• An unrecognized device
• A new mobile number
• An unknown location

Gives you a real-time heads up to nip any future unauthorized access attempts before they go too far. Highly recommended!

Step 5: Add Two-Factor Authentication

An absolute must-take step is enabling Facebook‘s two-factor authentication (2FA) with your account:

1. Click top right icon > Settings & Privacy > Security
2. Under "Use two-factor authentication" click Edit
3. Select your preferred 2FA method – Text, Authentication App, Security Key
4. Complete setup following Facebook‘s on-screen instructions

Once activated, logging in will require providing both your password AND confirming your identity through the second-factor method chosen.

Dramatically decreases the chances of hacks in the future. Well worth the minor added login hassle for improved account security!

Step 6: Inform Your Friends & Connections

While compromised, hackers may have used your account to spread spam links or malformed friend requests.

Post a status update letting your connections know about the breach in case they noticed anything unusual. For example:

"Hi friends! Unfortunately my Facebook account was hacked recently. Please don‘t open links/messages you may have received from me over the past day or two. Getting it secured now but wanted to give everyone a heads up."

Additionally, comb through your friends list and remove any people you don‘t actually know or remember adding.

Doing so prunes potential malicious contacts that infiltrated your network during the hack attack. Safety first!

Limit Old Posts and Tags Visibility

For extra cleanup after being hacked, restrict visibility on older posts, photos and tags that may unintentionally expose private details publicly:

1. Click top right icon > Settings & Privacy > Privacy Shortcuts
2. Click "Limit The Audience" for Previous Posts
3. Customize exactly who can see old posts on your timeline under "Customize Settings"
4. Repeat for limit old photos tags and other timeline visibility options

Hacking incidents present good opportunities to tidy up your digital footprint. Take advantage by archiving or removing anything you posted in the past that no longer needs to be public.

Step 7: Review Privacy & Security Settings

Finally, reinforce your Facebook security fortress by double checking privacy configurations:

1. Click top right icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
2. Review Privacy section – customize who can lookup your profile, see posts, contact you, etc
3. Under Security > Login, enable any recommended extra protections

Squaring away these foundational account security controls prevents future unauthorized access attempts.

Ongoing Protection Beyond the First 7 Steps

Stepping up your Facebook security game doesn‘t end after containing the initial hack damage.

Be vigilant moving forward by:

• Enabling login approvals and notifications
• Using randomly generated passwords via password manager
• Deleting unused connections and pruning friends list
• Routinely checking connected apps/sessions for anything suspicious
• Exercising caution around unsolicited login prompts

Hackers prey on complacency. Adopt proactive security habits to stay multiple steps ahead!

In Summary

Discovering your Facebook account security has been compromised is never fun. But you can contain the attack quickly through urgent damage control:

1. Confirm unauthorized access: Attempting login will determine severity.
2. Regain entry: Reset your password or contact Facebook to recover account.
3. Remove hacker pathways: Revoke app permissions, log out everywhere.
4. Fortify security: Turn on two-factor authentication at minimum.
5. Alert connections: Let friends know to ignore suspicious messages.
6. Review exposure: Check privacy settings and limit old post visibility.

Executing those first 7 response steps ASAP when faced with a hack restricts how much havoc attackers can cause. You lessen odds of issues like identity theft plus increase the likelihood of recovering your account firmly back under your control.

Then continue strengthening long-term Facebook security through proactive precautions that deny unauthorized entry attempts before they ever happen.

Staying vigilant minimizes your chances of becoming a victim of the over 8 million Facebook accounts that get successfully hacked each year. Protect what matters – your account safety and privacy!

Let me know if any questions come up in the comments! Happy to provide more tailored tips. Wishing you hack-proof peace of mind.