The first thing to do if you believe your Facebook account has been compromised is to change your password. If you use Facebook to sign in to apps like Spotify or Instagram change your logins as well. This will prevent hackers from accessing the third-party apps from your hacked Facebook profile.

A hacked guardian property services Facebook account can give hackers an unending supply of personal information. Hackers can make use of this information for nefarious reasons, like getting credit card numbers, and bombarding people with fake credit card offers or frauds involving phishing. They could also use the compromised account to send out spam messages to friends, or put up a post on your Facebook timeline with your name (as in the case that you did it yourself).

Hackers are most likely to gain access to accounts through exploiting a flaw in the Facebook application’s code. For instance, a vulnerability in iOS’s Facebook app allowed hackers to hijack cookies and steal an iPhone user’s so-called “access token.” These tokens are digital keys that allow them full control of the user’s Facebook account, and through Single Sign-On, any other websites that the user connects to using their Facebook credentials.

Hackers also have the ability to gain account access by using brute-force attacks. This technique involves guessing passwords, usually the most commonly used ones like 1234567890 and 123456789. Also, hackers may gain access to an account by scanning for compromised credentials. There are several free tools to check for stolen data, such as the popular website HaveIBeenPwned.