Free tech support / small logo


How can I tell if someone else is logging into my Facebook account?

I'm becoming a bit paranoid, but I'm sure someone else is logging in to my Facebook account and messing with things, deleting some of my Wall postings, etc. Nothing obvious, but just weird things going on. Can I figure out if someone's actually tapping into my account?


Dave's Answer:

Before we do anything else. you need to immediately go and change your Facebook account password. See: How to Change Your Facebook Password. Done? Good. Now, the next emergency immediate change to make is to scan through and probably disable the vast majority of authorized apps that use OAuth (a security protocol) to access your Facebook account. Changing your password doesn't slow them down. See: What Apps Have Access to my Facebook Account?

Done both of those? Good. Now you can take a deep breath because those should ensure that you have made the road to someone else touching your account quite a bit more difficult.

The third part, however, is the computer you're currently using. Is it trustworthy? Are you sure there's not a keylogger, spyware, or something else tracking what you're doing? If you aren't sure, switch to a different computer, use some antivirus software or even ask a geeky friend to check it all out, including checking for physical devices connected in-line on your keyboard cable. That's very unlikely, too, so don't get too paranoid.

Few people realize it, but Facebook actually keeps track of every location from which you log in to your account, whether it's a mobile device or a laptop or desktop computer, and you can gain access to this information.

That's another good place to check, needless to say.

Go to Account Settings (on the top right of your Facebook page):

facebook check multiple logins 1

Scroll down to find Account Security and click on "Change":

facebook check multiple logins 2

Now you'll find that there are some pretty interesting things you can request, including having Facebook actually send you a text message every time someone logs into your account. Perfect if you suspect something fishy is happening:

facebook check multiple logins 3

Scroll down just a bit further, though, and you'll see information on what login locations have been identified and whether they're still logged in (remember that "stay logged in for two weeks" option? Yeah, Facebook does too):

facebook check multiple logins 4

No worries there, that was me logging in from my MacBook Pro to test these security features. A bit further down, however, it's a bit more interesting:

facebook check multiple logins 5

You have to read very closely to see "FacebookTouch" in the first one and "iPad" in the second, but they're big clues: both are from my other devices, the first from my iPhone (though why it's not identified as such is a bit disappointing) and the second from my iPad. Either way, I don't really want to leave them logged in, just to ensure that every session requires the newly changed password, so I click on "End Activity" and they're logged out instantly.

Between all of these steps, I hope you'll be able to gain better control over access to your Facebook account, and I wish you good luck in your efforts.









Subscribe!
Never miss another Q&A article! Click to subscribe: Add to Google Reader Add to My Yahoo! Subscribe in NewsGator RDF XML
Comments

Hey Dave, how can you tell if someone's used Firesheep to access your Facebook account? The above steps assume they've acquired your login credentials, while Firesheep uses your existing session. Just thinking.

Posted by: Michael Sitarzewski at November 6, 2010 8:31 AM

There's a plug-in called "Blacksheep" that detects if you're on a network that's using Firesheep:

http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/08/firesheep-blacksheep/

problem with it, though, is that it takes a few minutes to figure out what's going on, so if you're really paranoid, you'd want to NOT connect to your favorite sites (e.g. Facebook) while it's sniffing around. Tech Crunch has a good explanation, referenced above.

Posted by: Dave Taylor at November 11, 2010 8:18 AM

wow ... I had no idea this can be done ... I just activated SMS or email notification on my account.
Thank you for posting it.

Posted by: Irv Brighton at November 12, 2010 3:47 PM

I have something to say, now that you mention it, but ...
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











Remember personal info?


Please note that I will never send you any unsolicited email. Ever.

While I'm at it, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to my terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site.









Recent Entries


Search
I Need Help!
Need Help? Ask Dave Taylor!


© 2002 - 2012 by Dave Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

Note: This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this web site or on any linked site.

[whiteboard marker tray]
"Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.