Facebook details help for hacked accounts

Improvements make re-gaining control easier

20 July 2009 12:10 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Facebook has detailed how it helps those whose accounts have been compromised by hackers and spammers, with improvements to the process rolling out now.

In a blog post the social networking site states: "One of the biggest challenges we face is helping people whose accounts have been compromised by spammers understand how it happened and how to fix the problem".

Although saying that "the vast majority" of Facebookers never experience a security problem, some user's accounts can, and have been hacked into to send spam messages to contacts, something Facebook describes as "embarrassing".

In the past, once an account had been compromised, Facebook would just send the user an email and freeze the account, but a "new model" that involves "clear and simple steps" will see a notification email at first, then, when the user accesses the site, they see a page explaining what happened.

A "quick" verification process will ensure they are the accounts owner and then Facebook says: "We'll help them pick a new, secure password and refer them to the Facebook Security Page, which includes helpful tips and information on how to be safe on Facebook and across the Internet".

Improving this area, that Facebook has been criticised for in the past, the site says: "We're committed to making the process of regaining control of your account easy and informative".

Via: blog.facebook.com

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