Facebook

Here are a few things you can do to keep your account safe:

• Pick a unique, strong password. Use combinations of at least 6 letters, numbers and punctuation marks and don't use this password for any of your other accounts. You can also use a password safe like LastPass, KeePass or 1Password to set and remember unique passwords for your account. Learn how to change your password.
• Think before you click. Never click suspicious links, even if they come from a friend or a company you know. This includes links sent on Facebook (ex: in a chat or story) or in emails. If one of your friends clicks a spam link, they could accidentally send you or tag you in spammy posts. If you see something suspicious on Facebook, report it. You also shouldn't download things (ex: a .exe file) if you aren’t sure what they are. Learn more about recognizing suspicious emails.
• Watch out for fake Pages and apps/games. Be suspicious of Pages promoting offers that are too good to be true. If in doubt, check to see if a Page is verified. Also be mindful when you install new apps or games. Sometimes scammers use bad apps and games to gain access to your Facebook account.
• Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. Sometimes scammers will create fake accounts to friend people. Becoming friends with scammers allows them access to spam your Timeline, tag you in posts and send you malicious messages. Your real friends may also end up being targeted.
• Never give out your login info (ex: email address and password). Sometimes people or pages will promise you something (ex: free poker chips) if you share your login info with them. These types of deals are carried out by cybercriminals and violate the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. If you're ever asked to re-enter your password on Facebook (ex: you're making changes to your account settings) check to make sure the address of the page still has facebook.com/ in the URL (web address).
• Log in at www.facebook.com. Sometimes scammers will set up a fake page to look like a Facebook login page, hoping to get you to enter your email address and password. Make sure you check the page's URL before you enter your login info. When in doubt, you can always type facebook.com into your browser to get back to the real Facebook. Learn more about phishing.
• Update your browser. The newest versions of internet browsers have built-in security protections. For example, they might be able to warn you if you're about to go to a suspected phishing site. Facebook supports:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Internet Explorer
• Run anti-virus software. To protect yourself from viruses and malware, scan your computer. You can learn more and download this software for free:

  • For Windows
  • For Mac OS

If you can't log into Facebook and need to reset your password:

1. Go to the login page at www.facebook.com
2. In the top right, click Forgot your password?
3. Type the email, phone number, full name or username associated with your account, then click Search and follow the on-screen instructions

Related topics:

• I'm not receiving the email to reset my password.
• I can’t reset my password because I can't access the email address listed on my account.
• I can't reset my password because I've reached a password reset limit.

To change your selection:

1. Click at the top right of your Facebook homepage
2. Select Log Out
3. From the Facebook login page, uncheck the box next to Keep me logged in

Note: If you log into Facebook from a computer or mobile device that you share with others (ex: a family computer, friend’s phone or an internet café), make sure that you log out of your Facebook account and quit the browser (ex: Firefox) when you’re done using Facebook.

You can help keep your Facebook account safe by creating a different password for each of the accounts you use online.

You can usually change the password you use to log into your email account (ex: your Gmail password) in the settings section of your account. Learn how to update your email password for:

• Gmail
• Yahoo!
• Outlook
• AOL

If you have any questions, please contact to your email service provider directly.

If you want to prevent anyone from logging into your account from a new place, you can turn on login approvals. When you turn on login approvals you'll need to enter a special security code each time you try to log into your account from a new computer or phone. Learn more about login approvals.

Sometimes we block uploads when we detect that a file is infected to prevent viruses from spreading to others. When a file has a virus, it means it’s being affected by malware.

If you got a warning about a file you downloaded, we recommend deleting it so it won’t harm your computer. If you think you or someone else might have already opened it, there are ways you can remove the malware.

To avoid this happening again, be cautious of files that look like photos but end in .exe, .rar or .zip instead of .jpg or .png. Also avoid downloading and opening files from sources you don't trust. Learn more about keeping your account secure.

We're committed to protecting your information. We have industry standard and proprietary network monitoring tools constantly running in our system in order to prevent security breaches and protect the security of your data.

We also post to a secure page when you're logging in and employ industry standard encryption. This may not always be apparent from the URL (web address), but rest assured our logins are secure.