Your social media account is more than just status updates and photos. When someone targets your Facebook profile, they seek something deeper. You might ask: why do people hack Facebook?
In this article you’ll learn the real reasons cyber-attackers go after Facebook accounts, the tactics they use, and what you can do to stay safe.
Why Facebook Accounts Are Valuable Targets
Your Facebook account holds a surprising amount of personal information: your profile, friends list, photos, messages, and often connected apps. Attackers know this makes Facebook a goldmine. Many users reuse passwords across sites, so gaining one account may unlock others. Attackers exploit that weak link.
In 2022, Facebook still counted over 2.9 billion monthly active users—meaning the pool of targets remains huge.
Motive 1: Identity Theft and Personal Data Harvesting
One of the top motives is identity theft. Getting your login gives the hacker access to your real name, birthday, friends, email, location history—all pieces of your identity. Once they have that, they can:
- Pretend to be you and ask your contacts for money or favours.
- Use the information to open credit lines, apply for services, or impersonate you elsewhere.
- Build a dossier of personal info that sells on illicit markets.
For many users, a compromised Facebook account is the door to deeper damage because you may link it to banking, email, or other vital services.
Motive 2: Financial Gain Through Scams and Fraud
Hackers see financially exploitable chances when they control your Facebook. They may:
- Send messages to your friends under your identity asking for money or gift cards.
- Post malicious links from your timeline that infect friends with malware.
- Use your trusted status to promote fake offers, phishing pages, or crypto scams.
Since your contacts naturally trust you, the hacker’s job gets easier. That trust translates into money.
Motive 3: Selling Access or Data on the Dark Web
An active Facebook account is a commodity. Hackers often quietly extract value by selling access rather than directly monetizing it themselves. Valuable accounts with many friends, groups, and posts fetch higher prices. They may sell:
- Full account credentials.
- Data harvested from the account (emails, contacts, private messages).
- Access tokens that unlock connected apps.
Because the hacking ecosystem is expansive, you may never see the direct fraud—just the damage from others using your profile.
Motive 4: Influence, Reputation Hijack and Disinformation
Beyond money, some attacks aim at influence. If someone hijacks your Facebook, they can:
- Spread misinformation or propaganda through your persona.
- Post false content to damage your reputation, whether personal or business.
- Gain access to groups you manage, and influence those communities for ideological or commercial purposes.
For public figures or brand accounts this is especially risky—your profile becomes a tool for the hacker’s agenda.
Motive 5: Spreading Malware and Attacking Others via Your Account
Once a hacker uses your Facebook account, they may leverage your trust network to attack others. They might:
- Send malicious links via your timeline or messenger that install spyware or keyloggers.
- Create phishing posts that look like you recommending something safe.
- Use your account as a stepping stone to hack your contacts.
In this way your account becomes a hub for further compromise.
Common Techniques Hackers Use (So You Know What to Watch For)
To understand why people hack Facebook, you should also grasp how they do it. Here are common methods:
- Phishing: You receive a fake login prompt or link, you enter credentials, attacker steals them.
- Credential stuffing: Using leaked credentials from another breach, attacker tries your email + password on Facebook.
- Social engineering: The hacker calls you, pretends to be Facebook support, coerces you into giving details.
- Key-logging/malware: A virus records your keystrokes or takes screenshots, then the attacker uses your data.
- Session hijacking: They steal your browser cookies or tokens and log in as if they’re you.
Because you may believe you’re “just a normal user”, hackers rely on low-profile accounts too. Attackers may also exploit weak passwords and reused logins.
Why Normal Users Are Targets Too (Not Just Celebrities)
You might believe that only high-profile users get hacked, but hackers target every account. Even “average” profiles matter because:
- Your friends list gives them access to others.
- An established account looks more trustworthy to launch scams.
- You may link to other accounts (Instagram, email) so your breach triggers cascade damage.
So don’t assume you’re too low-profile to be targeted. The volume game still works.
Recent Stats That Show How Real the Threat Is
Recent data shows that social media account breaches remain widespread. For example: a large networking site with over 1 billion users reports phishing remains the top method of compromise. Another source indicates up to 30 % of hacked accounts stem from reused passwords. These numbers clearly show the risk isn’t hypothetical.
What Happens After Your Facebook Account Gets Hacked
Once the hacker has control, here’s what can unfold:
- You may suddenly lose access or be locked out.
- Posts you didn’t write appear on your timeline.
- Messages sent from your name asking for assistance, money or clicking links.
- Your contacts may receive dangerous phishing messages.
- Your other linked online accounts (banks, email) may get compromised.
Acting quickly matters. The longer a hijacked account remains uncontrolled, the more damage spreads.
How to Protect Yourself and Minimize Risk
You cannot eliminate risk entirely, but as someone with decades of experience in writing and security awareness, here are solid steps:
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Facebook account and email.
- Use a unique, strong password for Facebook (do not reuse).
- Be cautious of login prompts, links in messages, and posts that look off from friends.
- Review active sessions and log out devices you don’t recognize.
- Keep your device’s operating system and apps up to date and run antivirus.
- Limit what personal data you share publicly (birthdays, locations, job details).
- Regularly review your friends list; remove or restrict contacts you don’t know.
These practices reduce your exposure and make you a harder target.
Why You Should Stay Alert (Because Stakes Are High)
Getting hacked isn’t just embarrassing. It can lead to identity theft, financial loss, reputational damage and major stress. Friends may lose trust. Your digital footprint may be used without your consent. And given how interconnected online accounts are, one breach may compromise many areas of your life.
When It’s Too Late: What To Do If You’re Hacked
If you suspect your Facebook account got hacked:
- Immediately change the password from a safe device.
- Log out all active sessions and remove unknown devices.
- Notify your friends to ignore suspicious messages from your account.
- Check your email for “password reset” alerts you didn’t request.
- Consider using a recovery account and enabling extra security.
- Monitor other linked accounts (email, banking) for unusual activity.
Acting fast can prevent escalation and limit damage.
Final Thoughts:
Now that you know why people hack Facebook — for identity theft, financial scams, data selling, reputation hijacking and malware spreading — you’re better equipped to protect yourself. Being aware of their motives helps you see the risk clearly and act proactively.
With strong passwords, vigilance, and minimal public data exposure, you significantly reduce your chances of becoming a target. Keep in mind: hackers go after profiles like yours, not just celebrities. Stay alert, stay secure, and you’ll make their job far harder.