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Facebook allies with security vendors vs malware, attacks


To protect its 900 million users from online attacks, social networking giant Facebook on Thursday announced a team-up with security vendors to protect its members’ data.
 
In a blog post, the Facebook security team said this is the latest step against viruses, spam and phishing attacks, as well as malicious pages, accounts and apps.
 
“Now, all of Facebook’s more than 900 million users will be protected by the combined intelligence of these industry leaders. Our URL blacklist system, which scans trillions of clicks per day, will now incorporate the malicious URL databases from these security companies to augment our existing level of protection,” it said.
 
Among the security vendors teaming up with Facebook are Microsoft, McAfee, TrendMicro, Sophos, and Symantec, it said.
 
This move effectively expands Facebook’s list of blacklisted sites by incorporating the security vendors’ databases.
 
Presently, it said less than 4 percent of content shared on Facebook is spam compared to nearly 90 percent of email, “and we are looking forward to making even more progress in the future.”
 
AV marketplace
 
Facebook also announced the new AV Marketplace for all Facebook users. The Marketplace is accessible from the Facebook Security Page, or directly at http://on.fb.me/FBAVMarketplace.
 
By going to the marketplace, people can select a free download from one of Facebook’s anti-virus partners.
 
“We believe that arming our users with anti-virus software will help empower them to stay safe no matter where they are on the web,” it said.
 
The AV Marketplace lets people download six-month licenses to full versions of anti-virus software at no charge from Microsoft, McAfee, TrendMicro, Sophos, or Symantec.
 
Also, the companies will provide educational materials on the Facebook Security Blog.
 
Users’ roles
 
One of the partners, Sophos, said the partnership will provide all involved with a heads-up on scams “before they become a problem for large numbers of users.”
 
But Sophos also said users also have a role to play by taking precautions to safeguard their accounts.
 
“To better safeguard your account, make sure you choose a strong unique password for your Facebook account, and don’t tell it to ANYONE. Look over the privacy settings regularly and carefully choose your configuration. Take care when downloading applications. Only befriend people you know. Report suspicious activity to Facebook,” it said. — TJD, GMA News
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