How to improve your Facebook account security

Facebook seems to have realized lately that it doesn’t need new features, but to make its existing ones more accessible. A few weeks ago they released a tool to customize what you see in your news feed, and now they’ve done the same for account security. This new verification process lets you configure certain info in three steps to shore up your account security.

Close apps you don’t use

Clicking the link above will take you to the Keep safe on Facebook section. The first step is to check which devices and apps you’ve logged into with your account – which means anyone else who has access to those devices/apps will go directly into your account without having to log in. These include any mobile apps you use, be it Facebook or its Lite version, as well as the browsers you’ve logged in from. If you see something off, you should definitely tick the corresponding box to close the session.

Receive login alerts

The next section lets you receive alerts when a session is begun on a device or browser that’s not been used before. It’s possible to receive notifications both on Facebook and to the email associated with your account. Sometimes you might get alerts when you restart or change the network configuration on a device, as this is considered a new login – so don’t get too nervous unnecessarily.

Protect your password

The last step is the most obvious one, but by no means the least important: it gives a series of tips on choosing a good password for your account. Don’t use the same password on Facebook as you do on other sites, don’t share it, and don’t include your name or words related to you. Forget about using your anniversary date or your mother’s maiden name, not to mention the classics like ‘12345’ that always top the annual rankings of the most-used passwords.