Technology
How to recover a hacked Facebook account
Facebook is no stranger to cyberthreats. Many hackers and scammers use Facebook to reach their victims, and keeping up with all their new techniques is challenging. Most of the time, people don’t even realize they’ve been hacked until a friend on Facebook lets them know they’ve received suspicious links from you on Messenger or almost clicked on a strange link posted to your page. (Unfortunately, this friend may have already clicked on the link.)
To add fuel to the fire, many accounts that have been hacked are also hard to get back into after the fact by the actual account holder. We received an email from a man who contacted us with just this very question:
“My wife’s Facebook was hacked a month ago, and we aren’t able to get back into her account, let alone just to get Facebook to shut it down.”
Does this sound familiar? What do you do if you realize your Facebook account has been hacked? And how can you get back on and recover your account if the hacker has logged you out? Here’s what you need to know.
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A woman on her Facebook account (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Why can’t I get access to my account after I’ve been hacked?
No one wants to find out that their Facebook account has been hacked. Being locked out of your account, unable to let your friends know that you didn’t send those suspicious links, or unable to log back in altogether can be upsetting and frustrating. But why does this happen? Why can’t you get back into your account after being hacked?
Well, there are a few reasons. One could be that once the hacker accessed your account, they’ve entered your settings and changed the password, so you can’t get back in without resetting it. If they’ve changed additional settings, it’ll take more than a password reset to get back in.
The other way is that someone may have reported your posts or your account to Facebook, letting them know that a hacker has taken over the account. In some cases, Facebook will block the account for security reasons. In both situations, getting back onto the platform and recovering your account is difficult. But there are ways to do it.
Facebook sign-in page (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How can I get back into/recover my account?
If you’ve been hacked and signed out of Facebook, you might wonder how you can access your account. Sometimes, you can still log into your Facebook account, but you recognize you’ve been hacked and want to take back ownership. Other times, Facebook already detects the hack and will log you out for security reasons, especially if you cannot verify the changes the hacker may have made to your account. Finally, if the hacker changed your recovery information – like your email and phone number – you may have an extra difficult time recovering your account. This is what you can try.
Facebook app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How to log back into Facebook if the hacker has logged you out
You may realize a hacker has taken over your account if you can’t log in, or you may notice some red flags while still logged into your account – like posts you didn’t create or friends letting you know you’ve been hacked. You may also notice that your account details, such as your name, birth date, etc., have been changed.
If you know you’ve been hacked, and you’ve been signed out of your account, you can:
- Go to the login screen and click Forgotten password
- Then follow the steps to reset your password and log back in
- Lastly, Facebook suggests that you visit https://www.facebook.com/hacked to secure your account. Here, they’ll ask you to change your password and review your recent login activity.
Facebook log-in page (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: FOOLPROOF STEPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT FROM HACKERS
How to recover your account if the hacker changed the email address on file
If you’ve tried the above method, and you’re still locked out of your account, it could be because the hacker has changed the email address and other verification information on file, which means any reset password links after that will go to them.
The good news is that you can reverse this. When the hacker changes the email, Facebook sends a message to the previous email account with a special link to verify – aka your email. Search your inbox for an email from Facebook. Then you can click this link to reverse the email change and follow the steps to secure your account.
Facebook main page (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How to recover your Facebook account if you no longer have access to the phone number or email associated with your account
If you cannot access the phone number or email associated with your Facebook account (perhaps because the hacker has also compromised your email).
- Head to facebook.com/login/identify
- You can fill out a form to have Facebook review your account while answering a few security questions to prove the account you’re trying to recover is yours.
- Sometimes, you’ll have to provide proof of ID, like a photo of a driver’s license, as they match the information you provided to Facebook when you first created your account.
Facebook login on the app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Help a friend recover their account (or ask your friend to help you)
Facebook also allows friends to help each other recover their accounts. This is also true if your friend has passed away or is incapacitated and can no longer use their Facebook. By doing this, you help prevent hackers from taking over a vulnerable account. The steps you’d take, though, depend on the situation. For instance, there are cases where hackers create fake profiles to impersonate you.
If you’re trying to help your friend recover their account for this reason – or they’re trying to help you – visit the Hacked Accounts section of the Help Center on Facebook and follow the steps.
How can I protect my account from being hacked in the future?
Unfortunately, if you’ve tried all the above methods and still can’t recover your account, you may not be able to. You can try to contact Facebook, but they are difficult to get in touch with.
Whether you get back into your account or end up creating a new one, you must take all the steps you can to secure your account to prevent hackers from getting in:
1) Visit Facebook’s “Privacy, Safety and Security” settings in the Help Center.
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the bottom-right corner
- Scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap “Settings”
- Here, you can adjust various settings related to your account, including privacy options.
2) Consider keeping your account as private as possible.
3) Be sure to use a strong password that you aren’t using for other accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.
4) Under your account settings, set up 2FA via SMS. This means if someone changes your email or phone number, at least one of the methods can help you get back in.
5) Log out of your Facebook account when you access it on a public or friend’s device.
6) Don’t share your login details with anyone, not even friends or relatives.
7) Don’t click on suspicious links or posts. The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may access your private information is to install antivirus protection on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.
8) Frequently do software updates on your device to prevent malware from getting in.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Facebook can be a risky place in general. As hackers become more inventive, there’s no way to protect yourself 100% from scams. If you get hacked and logged out of your account, it’s not enough to follow the steps to recover and log back in. You’ll also need to update your security preferences and ensure you follow the security tips we’ve outlined.
Have you ever had your Facebook hacked and needed to recover your account? Were you successful? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show
Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.
There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:
The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.
That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).
While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.
Technology
300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions
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Your web browser may feel like a safe place, especially when you install helpful tools that promise to make your life easier. But security researchers have uncovered a dangerous campaign in which more than 300,000 people installed Chrome extensions pretending to be artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Instead of helping, these fake tools secretly collect sensitive information like your emails, passwords and browsing activity.
They used familiar names like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Assistant. If you use Chrome and have installed any AI-related extension, your personal information may already be exposed. Even worse, some of these malicious extensions are still available today, putting more people at risk without their knowing.
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More than 300,000 Chrome users installed fake AI extensions that secretly harvested sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What you need to know about fake AI extensions
Security researchers at browser security company LayerX discovered a large campaign involving 30 malicious Chrome extensions disguised as AI-powered assistants (via BleepingComputer). Together, these extensions were installed more than 300,000 times by unsuspecting users.
Some of the most popular extensions included names like AI Sidebar with 70,000 users, AI Assistant with 60,000 users, ChatGPT Translate with 30,000 users, and Google Gemini with 10,000 users. Another extension called Gemini AI Sidebar had 80,000 users before it was removed.
These extensions were distributed through the official Chrome Web Store, which made them appear legitimate and trustworthy. Even more concerning, researchers found that many of these extensions were connected to the same malicious server, showing they were part of a coordinated effort.
While some extensions have since been removed, others remain available. This means new users could still unknowingly install them and expose their personal data. Here’s the list of the affected extensions:
- AI Assistant
- Llama
- Gemini AI Sidebar
- AI Sidebar
- ChatGPT Sidebar
- Grok
- Asking ChatGPT
- ChatGBT
- Chat Bot GPT
- Grok Chatbot
- Chat With Gemini
- XAI
- Google Gemini
- Ask Gemini
- AI Letter Generator
- AI Message Generator
- AI Translator
- AI For Translation
- AI Cover Letter Generator
- AI Image Generator ChatGPT
- Ai Wallpaper Generator
- Ai Picture Generator
- DeepSeek Download
- AI Email Writer
- Email Generator AI
- DeepSeek Chat
- ChatGPT Picture Generator
- ChatGPT Translate
- AI GPT
- ChatGPT Translation
- ChatGPT for Gmail
FAKE AI CHAT RESULTS ARE SPREADING DANGEROUS MAC MALWARE
These malicious tools were listed in the official Chrome Web Store, making them appear legitimate and trustworthy. (LayerX)
How the fake AI Chrome extension attack works
These fake extensions pretend to offer helpful AI features, such as translating text, summarizing emails, or acting as an AI assistant. But behind the scenes, they quietly monitor what you are doing online.
Once installed, the extension gains permission to view and interact with the websites you visit. This allows it to read the contents of web pages, including login screens where you enter your username and password.
In some cases, the extensions specifically targeted Gmail. They could read your email messages directly from your browser, including emails you received and even drafts you were still writing. This means attackers could access private conversations, financial information and sensitive personal details.
The extensions then sent this information to servers controlled by the attackers. Because they loaded content remotely, the attackers could change their behavior at any time without needing to update the extension.
Some versions could also activate voice features through your browser. This could potentially capture spoken conversations near your device and send transcripts back to the attackers.
If you installed one of these extensions, attackers may already have access to extremely sensitive information. This includes your email content, login credentials, browsing habits and possibly even voice recordings.
We reached out to Google for comment, and a spokesperson told CyberGuy that the company “can confirm that the extensions from this report have all been removed from the Google Web Store.”
BROWSER EXTENSION MALWARE INFECTED 8.8M USERS IN DARKSPECTRE ATTACK
Once installed, the extensions could read emails, capture passwords, monitor browsing activity and send the data to attacker-controlled servers. (Bildquelle/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
7 ways you can protect yourself from malicious Chrome extensions
If you have ever installed an AI-related Chrome extension, taking a few simple precautions now can help protect your accounts and prevent further damage.
1) Remove any suspicious or unused browser extensions
On a Windows PC or Mac, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into the address bar. Review every extension listed. If you see anything unfamiliar, especially AI assistants you don’t remember installing, click “Remove” immediately. Malicious extensions depend on going unnoticed. Removing them stops further data collection and cuts off the attacker’s access to your information.
2) Change your passwords
If you installed any suspicious extension, assume your passwords may be compromised. Start by changing your email password first, since email controls access to most other accounts. Then update passwords for banking, shopping and social media accounts. This prevents attackers from using stolen credentials to break into your accounts.
3) Use a password manager to create and protect strong passwords
A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for each account and stores them securely. This prevents attackers from accessing multiple accounts if one password is stolen. Password managers also alert you if your login credentials appear in known data breaches, helping you respond quickly and protect your identity. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.
4) Install strong antivirus software and keep it active
Good antivirus software can detect malicious browser extensions, spyware, and other hidden threats. It scans your system for suspicious activity and blocks harmful programs before they can steal your information. This adds an important layer of protection that works continuously in the background to keep your device safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
5) Use an identity theft protection service
Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data, including email addresses, financial accounts, and Social Security numbers, for signs of misuse. If criminals try to open accounts or commit fraud using your information, you receive alerts quickly. Early detection allows you to act fast and limit financial and personal damage. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.
6) Keep your browser and computer fully updated
Software updates fix security vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for Chrome and your operating system so you always have the latest protections. These updates strengthen your defenses against malicious extensions and prevent attackers from taking advantage of known weaknesses.
7) Use a personal data removal service
Personal data removal services scan data broker websites that collect and sell your personal information. They help remove your data from these sites, reducing what attackers can find and use against you. Less exposed information means fewer opportunities for criminals to target you with scams, identity theft or phishing attacks.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaway
Even tools designed to make your life easier can become tools for cybercriminals. Malicious extensions often hide behind trusted names and convincing features, making them difficult to spot. You can significantly reduce your risk by reviewing your browser extensions regularly, removing anything suspicious and using protective tools like password managers and strong antivirus software.
Have you checked your browser extensions recently? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance
Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense’s demands for unrestricted access to its AI.
It’s the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desire to renegotiate all AI labs’ current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI and xAI had reportedly already agreed to the new terms, while Anthropic’s refusal had led to CEO Dario Amodei being summoned to the White House this week for a meeting with Hegseth himself, in which the Secretary reportedly issued an ultimatum to the CEO to back down by the end of business day on Friday or else.
In a statement late Thursday, Amodei wrote, “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries. Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.”
He added that the company has “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner” but that in a “narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values” — going on to specifically mention mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. (Amodei mentioned that “partial autonomous weapons … are vital to the defense of democracy” and that fully autonomous weapons may eventually “prove critical for our national defense,” but that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.” He did not rule out Anthropic acquiescing to the military’s use of fully autonomous weapons in the future but mentioned that they were not ready now.)
The Pentagon had already reportedly asked major defense contractors to assess their dependence on Anthropic’s Claude, which could be seen as the first step to designating the company a “supply chain risk” – a public threat that the Pentagon had made recently (and a classification usually reserved for threats to national security). The Pentagon was also reportedly considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic comply.
Amodei wrote in his statement that the Pentagon’s “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” He also wrote that “should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”
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