Nothing can be worse than to allow your Facebook account get hacked by an unknown person leading to pilfering of your personal information. Personal information in Facebook account meant for entertainment or business purposes needs to be secured at any cost. Facebook, being one of the top ranking social networking sites provides advanced security features to secure the accounts of millions of fans.

The following tips will help you to keep your Facebook account safe and secure, preventing pilferage of information by intelligent hackers.

1.    Enabling HTTPS

Enabling HTTPS or HTTP Secure for your Facebook account provides better security compared to the commonly used HTTP connection. HTTPS is more trusted and certified by major authorities, providing better online security. Nobody can access information from HTTP enabled browser that secures information sharing by you and the computer.

Modernized browsers also highlight the safe and certified URLS providing better online security. You need to log in to your Facebook account to enable HTTPS settings. Go to the “Accounts” tab and click “Account Settings”. Then click “Account Security” and check the box showing “Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) whenever possible”.

The box will appear under the Account Security tab. Click “Save” button to enable the HTTPS setting.

2.    Follow Facebook Log-in Approval or Two- Step Authentication

You can also avail the two-step authentication for your Facebook account similar to Google account authentication system. This authentication system will enable you to log in to your Facebook account with your password and an authentication code, sent to your mobile. Only login password will not suffice for logging into Facebook account after you have enabled the Log-in Approval system.

Log in to Facebook with your password and go to “Accounts” tab. Under the “Account Security” tab, check the box Log-in Approvals. Before going for this process, you need to activate your mobile device clicking the “Mobile” tab under My Account. The confirmation code will be sent to your mobile device and then you can proceed for the two-step authentication procedure.

3.    Check Log-in Notifications:

Enabling this system will alert you if any unknown person tries to log in to your Facebook account. This feature works well if you log in from the same computer and from the same location. Facebook recognizes the system and the particular location from where you log in. If anybody tries to log in to your account from any other computer, you will receive Facebook notifications about this activity.

To enable this security feature, go to Account Settings and you will find the Log-in Notification box. Check two boxes, “Send me an Email” and “Send me a text message” and click “Save”. Regular checking of Facebook history will also help you to know about the suspicious log in activities by an unknown person. The Facebook history will also reveal the IP addresses of the browsed sites and log in activities of the account.

4.    Using one-time password in public computers:

You can also avail one-time password facility in Facebook if you use shared computers. Facebook provides a temporary password that can be used only once, and its validity is 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, this password will be deactivated.

To avail this service, you need to activate your mobile number to enable Facebook to send messages in your device. You can go to the Mobile tab and register your number. Facebook will send you a temporary password, and you will be able to log in to your account using that password.

5.    Beware of Facebook email Phising attacks and scams:

Always think before clicking any suspicious links posted on your wall by your friends and contacts. Many post infectious links on their friend’s wall spreading Facebook scams. You can visit Facecrooks.com and keep yourself updated about the latest Facebook scams. This site also provides information about the latest Facebook threats.

You can also keep your account secure maintaining some alertness while reading messages from friends. It is advised to double click the sender’s email address and check whether the mail is from facebookmail.com domain. Mails originating from domains other than facebookmail.com are not safe to click.

6.    Check the Allowed Applications often:

Facebook applications are enjoyed by many, but the users should compulsorily check these applications quite often to secure their Facebook account. Avoid installing suspicious applications. Check the reviews of the applications in the net before installing them. Security quiz from Facebook will also keep you informed about the security settings of your Facebook account. You need to answer questions posted by the quiz and that will test your awareness about the security features. Facebook privacy options with revamped features also helps in securing your Facebook account. Go to managing Facebook privacy options and update your privacy settings.