Facebook requires 2fa activation for accounts that participate in Facebook Protect

Facebook will soon require two-factor authentication for accounts that participate in the Facebook Protect program. According to the company, they are potentially more likely to be targeted by malicious parties. The obligation will be rolled out around the world in the coming months.

Facebook Protect is a service that aims to protect hack-prone accounts of politicians, journalists or activists, among others, against hacking attacks by recommending stronger security measures and monitoring potential hacking threats. During this monitoring, it is checked whether login attempts are made from unknown locations or unknown devices.

Until recently, two-step authentication was optional, but it will become mandatory in the coming months, according to Facebook. With this obligation, the company wants to keep the accounts even more secure and hopes to further reduce the number of hacked accounts of these high-risk groups.

Facebook Protect was created in 2018 to help protect hack-sensitive accounts of politicians, policymakers, journalists and activists against malicious parties. Only users who are eligible for Facebook Protect will be notified to participate in the program. According to the company, more than 1.5 million accounts are currently participating in the Facebook Protect security program. About 950,000 accounts have two-factor authentication enabled. Since September of this year, Facebook Protect has been available in more and more countries.