In this part series, I will guide you through how you can make your Facebook account more secure against hackers and cyber criminals.
I have had a couple of friends complain to me that they lost access to their Facebook account simply because a hacker somewhere and somehow took control of their Facebook account and thereby denying them access to the account. I asked them if they ever heard of 2FA or "Two Factor Authentication", and they looked at me confused.
Well, I won't blame them too much, they may never have heard of it and likewise you reading this may already be aware , but may not have known the importance of it, until your account is threatened by a strange hacker from the dark world or some mischievous person somewhere trying to play pranks on you, to punish you by impersonating you to commit crime on your behalf with your Facebook account, name and photo.
Well, let me start by explaining Two Factor Authentication, without all the technicalities using simple analogy.
Two Factor Authentication is the burglary proof in your house, while your password acts as the door to your house. Even when the door ( your password) is broken into (stolen or guessed) by the hacker, yet the criminal can not get into your home, because of the extra protection provided by the burglary proof(2FA-Two Factor Authentication) attached to it as a second protection.
Hackers and Cyber criminals have become sophisticated in their attacks, so because of this, cyber security experts and technologists have upped the game to guarantee more protection for internet users like you and me.
In this part series, I will be showing you two methods to set up Two Factor Authentication. There is a third method , but I consider that too technical for an average user.
First method is by the use of your mobile phone number
The second is by downloading a Google Authentication app, from the Google Play Store available for almost all android phones.
Method 1
login into your Facebook account,
click on "Settings",
scroll down and click on "Security and Login"
scroll down and click on "Two Factor Authentication"
You will be asked to enter your password again to confirm that you own the account,
enter your password and click continue,
scroll down and you will see Authentication app icon
scroll down until you see select a phone number, use existing number already registered with this account or use a different phone number
add number, then confirm
you will then start receiving OTP on this number,
After you have enabled this method, you will be sent a code by SMS each time you log in with your password on Facebook. You will be required to enter a new code or OTP that will always be sent to you by Facebook to verify its you, and not a hacker trying to get into your account.
Method 2
the second method of setting Two Factor Authentication on your Facebook involves you downloading the Google Authentication app. Go to your Google Play Store on your android phone and search for "Google Authentication app". Download and install it. please note that Google Authentication app is recommended because it is one of the most reliable and trusted.
After installing the Google Authentication App, go back and login into your Facebook account,
click on "Settings",
scroll down and click on "Security and Login"
scroll down and click on "Two Factor Authentication"
you will be asked to enter your password again to confirm you own the account,
enter your password and click continue,
click on "Turn On", to turn Two Factor Authentication on.
scroll down and you will see Authentication app icon
Scroll down and click "Add a new app"
scroll down and click on "Set up on same device" ..( if the Google Authentication app is on same device), click on this option, and it will automatically sync and that's all.
OR
scroll down and you will see QR code image and some text at the bottom, giving you two options to choose from
below that option, you will see a QR code or image which you can scan if the Google Authentication App was installed on a different phone, just open the Google App on that second phone and click the red plus button in the app, on that phone and click scan a bar code option, then when a camera displays, point it over this Facebook QR image. it will sync together automatically.
OR
using the copy text option,
click and copy the text displayed under this QR code image, and then paste it on the Google Authentication App, if its on the same phone.
Go to the Google Authentication App again,
You will have to first click on the red plus button , then then click on "Enter a provided key",
You can give it a name as Facebook in the first row at the top, while you paste the code at the second row at the bottom, and then click add. That's all!
which ever option is more convenient for you, will still give same result.
So when ever you log into your Facebook from any phone or computer or any new browser, it will ask you for Authentication code, just open the Google Authentication App and look at the code and go back to Facebook and put the code there. The codes are generated randomly for more security and changes every few seconds.
Congratulations ...you have just added another layer of security to your Facebook Account.
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