All you need to know about Facebook Protect

Users whose Facebook accounts are more susceptible to cyberattacks and possibly even state-sponsored attacks will have the benefit of the Facebook Protect feature. Journalists, human rights defenders, campaigners, and organisations are among those who are going to be ‘protected’. 

Facebook Protect, a service that secures the accounts of users who are at high risk of being targeted by hackers, is now available in India and other countries. 

When enabled, the feature will force these accounts to use two-factor authentication (2FA) and additional security measures. The programme was piloted within the US in 2018 and  expanded during the 2020 presidential elections. By the end of the year, Facebook believes it’ll have expanded to almost 50 countries. 

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So, what does Facebook Protect actually do? 

Users in these groups will soon receive a notice from Facebook requesting them to switch on the function, according to Facebook’s Head of Security Nathaniel Gleicher. The programme attempts to shield accounts from intrusions by requiring two-factor authentication and monitors them for added protection. 

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Gleicher explained that “Facebook Protect helps secure these accounts by enabling extra automated defences from our systems.” “For the categories of compromised efforts that human rights defenders, journalists, or brass may confront, we use heightened detection. These accounts are flagged in our internal systems. So once we get a report about one or see them being targeted repeatedly, we know there’s more at stake,” he added.

If you receive the prompt, it means your account is taken into the high-risk category, and you need to enable it. If you haven’t already, you’ll have to enable two-factor authentication for your Facebook account. 

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The prompt will have a deadline for acceptance. You may be locked out of your account if you do not accept within a timeframe. 

According to Facebook’s head of security, only 4% of all Facebook users have 2FA enabled and  the feature remains underutilised. For those that do not know, 2FA implies that you will require a login code sent to your phone or a third-party authenticator software like Google Authenticator to access your account from a brand new device. 

2FA could also be an excellent security feature for any account, not just high-risk ones. This code is required to log into the account on a brand new device. If hackers manage to crack your password, they’re going to be unable to access your account until they obtain the one-time password or code.