It’s a dangerous world out there, but Facebook has your back if you’re being hacked, and will immediately report back to you if they believe your account is under attack.
- Facebook will now notify the user if they have evidence to believe their account is under threat
- The user will require to provide a code, sent via SMS to their phone
- Facebook will be recommending their Login Approvals as the best security measure
- They have remained quiet on how their methods work
According to Facebook’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, from now on, users will receive a notification if their account is under the attack of state-sponsored hackers. This will count as anyone (or possibly even you) attempting to log in from a different device or browser. The warning message will pop up to inform you of the threat.
Facebook seems to be using their new security feature as a way of recommending their Login Approvals. The feature will require users to provide an additional code in order to connect their account. It will be sent via SMS each time they record an attempt at logging in from a foreign device. This implies telling them your phone number.
According to the social media platform, this will protect users from state-sponsored attacks, which are the most dangerous types. As stated by Stamos, it’s important to mention that this does not emphasize a particular vulnerability of Facebook or even as the cause of attacks. In fact, they mean to inform their users that their computers or devices themselves might be compromised.
Furthermore, they will send out the warning only when the “evidence strongly” indicates that an attack may be attempted. So, users should rest assured that they will not be receiving cautions willy nilly. Facebook means to provide the best security measures possible.
In lieu of problems regarding government surveillance that borderlines on hacking, the social media has set themselves as the frontline defense of the average user. The two-factor authentication feature via Login Approvals may present the best weapon. The required code sent directly to the user’s phone is allegedly harder (but not impossible) to hack.
Facebook has not said a word on how these specific techniques work though. They have remained quiet on their methods of finding out how, when or what account is under the threat of state-sponsored hackers. And it’s a potentially understandable decision.
According to Stamos, they cannot divulge their tactics without damaging the “integrity” of their methods. It’s necessary to keep their strategies to themselves in order not to compromise their security measures. And it’s just one among several others.
The social media platform has been rolling up their sleeves and got to work where it concerns the overall safety of their online accounts. In fact, they have their own security check up tool and partnered with multiple antivirus creators. So far, Facebook claims to have cleaned up around 2 million computers of malware, and their practice is still active.
Image source: which.co.uk
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