Contact/Tip Us Reach out to get featured—contact us to send your exclusive story idea, research, hacks, or ask us a question or leave a comment/feedback! Follow Us On Social Media RSS Feeds Email Alerts How to Hack Facebook Account Just by Knowing Phone Number Swati KhandelwalJun 15, 2016 Hacking Facebook account is one of the major queries on the Internet today. It's hard to find — how to hack Facebook account or facebook messenger, but researchers found a way that can allow someone to hack Facebook account passwords with only the target's phone number and some resources. Yes, your Facebook profile can be hacked, no matter how strong your password is or how much extra security measures you have taken. No joke! Hackers with resources to exploit SS7 network can hack your Facebook login and all they need is your phone number. The weaknesses in the part of global telecom network SS7 that not only let hackers and spy agencies listen to personal phone calls and intercept SMSes on a potentially massive scale but also let them hijack social media accounts to which you have provided your phone number. SS7 or Signalling System Number 7 is a cell phone signaling protocol that is being used by more than 800 telecommunication operators worldwide to exchange information with one another, cross-carrier billing, enabling roaming, and other features. However, an issue with the SS7 network is that it trusts text messages sent over it regardless of their origin. So, malicious hackers could trick SS7 into diverting text messages as well as calls to their own devices. All they need is the target’s phone number and some details of the target’s device to initiate the silent snooping. The researchers from Positive Technologies, who recently showed how they could hijack WhatsApp and Telegram accounts, now gave the demonstration of the Facebook hack using similar tricks, Forbes reported. SS7 has long been known to be vulnerable, despite the most advanced encryption used by cellular networks. The designing flaws in SS7 have been in circulation since 2014 when the team of researchers at German Security Research Labs alerted the world to it.
Here's How to Hack Any Facebook Account:
The attacker first needs to click on the "Forgot account?" link on the Facebook.com homepage to reset your password. Now, when asked for a phone number or email address linked to the target account, the hacker needs to provide the legitimate phone number. The attacker then diverts the SMS containing a one-time passcode (OTP) to their own computer or phone, and can gain access to the target’s Facebook account. The issue affects all Facebook users who have registered a phone number with Facebook and have authorized Facebook Texts. Besides Facebook, researchers' work shows that any service, including Gmail and Twitter, that uses SMS to verify its user accounts has left open doors for hackers to target its customers. Although the network operators are unable to patch the hole sometime soon, there is little the smartphone users can do.
Do not link your phone number to social media sites, rather rely solely on emails to recover your Facebook or other social media accounts.
Use two-factor authentication that does not use SMS texts for receiving codes.
Use communication apps that offer "end-to-end encryption" to encrypt your data before it leaves your smartphone over your phone's standard calling feature.
However, the important thing to note is that the issue has actually nothing to do with Facebook security or other website's security, instead it is the weakness in the telecom network.
"Because this technique [SSL exploitation] requires significant technical and financial investment, it is a very low risk for most people," Facebook spokesperson told The Hacker News.
"As an added precaution, we recommend turning on two-factor authentication, called Login Approvals, in your Facebook security settings. Doing this will disable recovery via SMS on your account so even if someone has your phone number, they'll still need your password to access your account."
Update: If you think this technique is old and can not be used to hack your social media, bank or any online accounts, then you are mistaken. A real-world SS7 attack has been spotted this month when some unknown hackers exploited the design flaws in the Signaling System 7 (SS7) to drain victims' bank accounts. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News, Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARETweetShareShareShareShare on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Reddit Share on Hacker News Share on Email Share on WhatsApp Share on Facebook Messenger Share on Telegram SHARE Facebook account hacking, Facebook hacking, gmail hacking, hacking news, How to Hack Facebook, interception, Signaling System 7, sms hacking, SS7, SS7 Protocol, twitter hacking Trending News Critical Grist-Core Vulnerability Allows RCE Attacks via Spreadsheet Formulas Microsoft Office Zero-Day (CVE-2026-21509) - Emergency Patch Issued for Active Exploitation ClickFix Attacks Expand Using Fake CAPTCHAs, Microsoft Scripts, and Trusted Web Services WhatsApp Rolls Out Lockdown-Style Security Mode to Protect Targeted Users From Spyware Fortinet Patches CVE-2026-24858 After Active FortiOS SSO Exploitation Detected Google Warns of Active Exploitation of WinRAR Vulnerability CVE-2025-8088 Critical vm2 Node.js Flaw Allows Sandbox Escape and Arbitrary Code Execution Two High-Severity n8n Flaws Allow Authenticated Remote Code Execution Fake Moltbot AI Coding Assistant on VS Code Marketplace Drops Malware ThreatsDay Bulletin: New RCEs, Darknet Busts, Kernel Bugs and 25+ More Stories Researchers Find 175,000 Publicly Exposed Ollama AI Servers Across 130 Countries Two Ivanti EPMM Zero-Day RCE Flaws Actively Exploited, Security Updates Released SmarterMail Fixes Critical Unauthenticated RCE Flaw with CVSS 9.3 Score Researchers Uncover Chrome Extensions Abusing Affiliate Links and Stealing ChatGPT Access CERT Polska Details Coordinated Cyber Attacks on 30+ Wind and Solar Farms Iran-Linked RedKitten Cyber Campaign Targets Human Rights NGOs and Activists Popular Resources 139,000 Cyber Incidents Analyzed — Here's What Every CISO Must Know for 2026 Advanced Intrusion Detection + OT Vulnerability Management in One Platform Your SOC Needs AI — Watch Prophet AI Investigate Alerts in Minutes Elite SOCs Look to the Network First — Discover How Corelight NDR Works
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How to Hack Facebook Account Just by Knowing Phone Number 
Hacking Facebook account is one of the major queries on the Internet today. It's hard to find — how to hack Facebook account or facebook messenger, but researchers found a way that can allow someone to hack Facebook account passwords with only the target's phone number and some resources. Yes, your Facebook profile can be hacked, no matter how strong your password is or how much extra security measures you have taken. No joke! Hackers with resources to exploit SS7 network can hack your Facebook login and all they need is your phone number. The weaknesses in the part of global telecom network SS7 that not only let hackers and spy agencies listen to personal phone calls and intercept SMSes on a potentially massive scale but also let them hijack social media accounts to which you have provided your phone number. SS7 or Signalling System Number 7 is a cell phone signaling protocol that is being used by more than 800 telecommunication operators worldwide to exchange information with one another, cross-carrier billing, enabling roaming, and other features. However, an issue with the SS7 network is that it trusts text messages sent over it regardless of their origin. So, malicious hackers could trick SS7 into diverting text messages as well as calls to their own devices. All they need is the target’s phone number and some details of the target’s device to initiate the silent snooping. The researchers from Positive Technologies, who recently showed how they could hijack WhatsApp and Telegram accounts, now gave the demonstration of the Facebook hack using similar tricks, Forbes reported. SS7 has long been known to be vulnerable, despite the most advanced encryption used by cellular networks. The designing flaws in SS7 have been in circulation since 2014 when the team of researchers at German Security Research Labs alerted the world to it. 
Share on Facebook Messenger Share on Telegram SHARE Facebook account hacking, Facebook hacking, gmail hacking, hacking news, How to Hack Facebook, interception, Signaling System 7, sms hacking, SS7, SS7 Protocol, twitter hacking Trending News 
Zero Trust + AI: Thrive in the AI Era and Remain ResilientZero Trust Everywhere - protection across your workforce, branches, and clouds, and GenAI.. 
Zero Trust + AI: Thrive in the AI Era and Remain ResilientZero Trust Everywhere - protection across your workforce, branches, and clouds, and GenAI.. 
Stop AI-Powered Threats and Protect Sensitive Data with Zscaler Zero Trust + AICompanies must replace legacy firewalls, VPNs, and exposed IPs with a Zero Trust + AI security model to protect AI usage and stop AI-driven attacks. 
Earn a Master's in Cybersecurity Risk ManagementLead the future of cybersecurity risk management with an online Master’s from Georgetown. Expert Insights Articles Videos 
