State-sponsored hacks may be something governments should be dealing with but according to Facebook, its users have become prime targets for such privacy breaches, making it a social networking problem. So Facebook is giving its users a leg up by alerting them when malicious activity is detected.

If you don’t want to fall prey to state-sponsored hacks, or hackers in general, there are measures you can implement that go beyond the usual ‘use stronger password‘ reminder, and they’re as simple as editing some of your Facebook settings.

First off, you need to log in to your Facebook account and click the icon with the padlock. This will open a drop down menu for quick privacy changes. At the bottom of the menu, you will see See More Settings or visit Privacy Basics. Click on See More Settings. A new page will open and you will notice tabs on the left side of the page. Click on the Security tab, which is second from the top, to open the Security Settings page. From there, you can now choose how to make your account more protected.

3 Ways to keep your Facebook account secure

Login Alerts

When you click on Edit on this portion, you will be presented with three options on how you want to be notified when someone tries to log in using a new device or browser. You can turn on all three, which include the ability to receive notifications on the Facebook app or on Facebook’s web portal, via email or by text messages. Click on Save Changes — you may be asked to enter your password for verification.

Login Approvals

This setting presents you the option to require a security code when you log in using an unknown browser. This may deter would-be hackers, as it needs a code from your smartphone and your password to log in.

To get started, just tick on the box, and it will inform you that in cases that you can use a code generator to get a unique code, Facebook will send you a code. If you agree, Facebook will then send you a code which you have to enter in the pop up window that appeared. You will then be asked if you want this feature to be immediately implemented or not.

Trusted Contacts

In case you’re the type of person who constantly forgets your password and you have some extremely trustworthy friends, you can actually designate them as people who could help you get on your account if something goes wrong or your account gets hacked. You can choose three to five contacts, and Facebook will notify them that they have been chosen by you to help keep your account safe. Your trusted contacts will be issued codes which you will then use to access your account.

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