Following the announcement of a data breach which impacted up to 50 million accounts late last week, Facebook has taken the additional precaution of advising Page managers on how to ensure the security their accounts and avoid any potential complications.
As explained by Facebook:
"We’ve fixed the vulnerability, informed law enforcement and reset compromised tokens so attackers can no longer use them to log in. We don't yet know if any accounts were accessed using these stolen tokens, but we're working to proactively identify any unauthorized access. While no action is required, in an abundance of caution, here are some steps you can consider taking to further secure your account:"
Read as: 'There's nothing to worry about, we don't think, but just in case...'
Here's what Facebook advises:
1. Check Your Contact Information in Your Account Settings
Facebook says that there’s no need for Page managers to change their passwords, but having accurate email and phone information "will allow you to regain access to your account if you forget your password".
2. Check Page Roles and Permissions
"If you administer a Facebook Page, Group, app, ad account or business, we encourage you to check roles and permissions on your account for any unauthorized changes or new admins you don't recognize."
If you look through the listings and there are any unauthorized admins or suspicious looking entries, you should contact Facebook's Help Center to report the potential issue.
3. Check Page Activities
Facebook also recommends that Page managers also check these elements for any unrecognized activities:
- Look for changes to payment details in Payment Settings on your account.
- Review active campaigns in Ads Manager to check for changes to ads, bids or budgets.
- Look for any listings you did not create on your Marketplace account.
Reviewing these elements should actually be part of a regular Facebook Page audit process to ensure account safety - and with Facebook Pages now playing such a significant role in brand discovery, and digital marketing more broadly, there's definitely value in keeping tabs on your data access.
As Facebook notes, there's nothing to suggest, at this stage, that any major data misuse action has occurred, and the investigation is ongoing into who sought to steal Facebook data, and why. If you have any concerns, it's worth going through these steps to ensure you remain safe.