| Facebook Enlists InfoSec Mavens for Big Malware Vaccination
The social networking giant has also launched an antivirus marketplace from which users can download full versions of these companies' AV offerings at no charge. "Overall, it's a good move that Facebook is taking its responsibility as an unwilling carrier of malicious traffic seriously and taking steps to prevent people who use its services from becoming infected," ESET's Goretsky commented. Perhaps the only truly free products are Microsoft Security Essentials and the AV product from Sophos. Most new PCs come preloaded with software from one of the several AV vendors in the market. Further, the malicious URL databases will not be able to protect users against zero-day attacks or against new modifications of old or existing malware until a signature is detected. At one point last year, images of porn and violence were flooding Facebook's pages. That might mean an increase in phishing attacks, where hackers send out targeted emails to potential victims to get them to click on a link or visit a Internet profile loaded with malware. "We are working alongside McAfee and Microsoft to provide scan-and-repair systems for users we identify as affected by malware," Facebook's Peace said. Users who download any of the AV packages listed on Facebook's AV page will get a license to utilise them free for six months. One result of AV software conflicts could be that the user's PC may not be able to connect to the Internet, according to Windowsfixup. "They are just going to focus more on bypassing the promoted products and use social engineering. However, they may have to pay for the packages after that. Facebook has been a prime target for hackers and malware authors over the years. In April researchers at Trusteer discovered a whole new configuration of the Ice IX malware that steals credit card and other personal information from Facebook users who have logged into their account. URL blacklisting "is largely a reactive technology . Facebook has worked with McAfee to protect users for some time now, and it signed up Websense as a security partner in October. |
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Facebook Enlists InfoSec Mavens for Big Malware Vaccination
