How to check if your Facebook account was affected by recent hack

Hackers recently gained access to millions of Facebook accounts, and here's how to check if your account was one of them.

Facebook Security Alert for September 2018 hack
Facebook Security Alert for September 2018 hack

Facebook was hacked yet again by hackers who used a flaw in the “view as” feature that allowed them to access millions of accounts.

According to the social network giant, during the hack (which occurred in September), the malicious individuals were able to gain access to 30 million accounts, which gave them ability to steal user’s personal information, such as name, email, and phone numbers for around 14 million accounts. In addition, hackers also gained unauthorized access to other information like gender, location, religion, device information, and recent searches for other 15 million users.

Although Facebook has been notifying affected users, the company is now offering a way to check if your data had been accessed using the Facebook’s Help Center.

In the support website, assuming you’re logged in to Facebook, at the bottom of the page, you’ll find if your account was affected in the “Is my Facebook account impacted by this security issue?” section.

Facebook Help Center hack check
Facebook Help Center hack check

If your account has been bridged, you’ll be able to see the information that has been taken, and the data that hackers couldn’t gain access.

In the case that your account had an unauthorized access, Facebook says that you don’t need to do anything else to further secure your profile.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.