When Facebook talks about securing user accounts, the company is serious about it. During a Web Summit in Lisbon, Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos revealed that the social media giant acquires hacked passwords for cross-referencing with encrypted passwords to guarantee user security.

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Stamos emphasized that keeping Facebook safe and secured are "two different things." He explained that "security is about building walls to keep out threats and shore up defenses." However, he cleared that safety is a bigger thing as a secured software may still get people hurt. The security officer of Facebook said that "the reuse of passwords is the number one cause of harm on the internet."

The social media site is currently performing several measures such as two-step verification, and friends face identification to ensure security. A machine that knows algorithms is also utilized to check on suspicious activities that may be fraudulent. Apart from these, the company is also creating a concept wherein users' close friends can issue recovery request of hacked accounts.

The company has discovered that most stolen passwords are similar to typical combinations like "09865" and "12345." According to Stamos, the company is purchasing hacked passwords because it helps in identifying passwords that have already been used by users in other online platforms. Users with similar codes in other sites will be forced to have a different one in Facebook so that hackers will have a hard time stealing the account.

Stamos added that the "computationally heavy" process is worth all the effort since it will help in protecting not just the Facebook users but also their family, friends, and colleagues in their contact from cyber criminals.