Facebook asks for your phone number for your security

With the recent leaking of passwords at LinkedIn and eHarmony, Facebook has made another attempt at getting users to secure their accounts further. Users launching Facebook over the next few days will see a message from the social network that says, “Stay in control of your account by following these simple security tips”. The message also contains a link, which leads users to the Facebook Security page, where users are shown how to spot a scam, how to make a password that is difficult to crack and finally, you can now add your phone number. If you confirm your phone number with Facebook, the social network will text you a new password should you ever forget yours.

Will you give your phone number for security?

While the initiative might seem to add a new level of security to your Facebook account, the company is trusting that while you may have forgotten your password, your phone is still in your possession. Furthermore, there have been many times when Facebook accounts have been hacked, but the hacker knew the password or knew how to get in already. This isn’t the only security feature that requires your phone number, there is another that seems to cover more ground. If you enter your phone number on the social network, you will be able to receive a text notification whenever someone logs in to your account. Of course, once they’re in your account, they can change your password and the phone number listed in the account settings.

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Facebook also has a trusted friends security feature wherein when you forget your password, or you can’t seem to log in to your account using the password you normally use (i.e. your account has been hacked), the social network will send a reset password to those three trusted friends, either by text message or by e-mail. However, as a report indicated in June of last year, this feature can be manipulated as well. A hacker can essentially make a fake account and try to friend a victim. Once the victim accepts, the hacker tries to log into the victim’s account and after failed login attempts, Facebook will ask to send a reset password to three trusted friends, where the hacker chooses the fake account as one of them. However, the social network encourages that you choose your three trusted friends, while you still have control over your account, so the hacker cannot change these. Do you think your Facebook account is secure? Has it ever been hacked? Let us know in the comments section below.