Recently, the social networking giant introduced the Facebook Anti-Virus Marketplace, as its considerably vast user base that has unfortunately attracted a less desirable group: malware and virus inhabitants. Since then, Facebook has allowed users to obtain free trials of anti-virus software from big names like McAfee, Sophos, Symantec, and Microsoft. They also incorporated those company’s databases into their own URL blacklist database to better help them sniff out potential threats on the site.
Now with the threats growing by the day, and in order to allow users to be more “proactive,” Facebook has set up a self-enrollment malware checkpoint that empower users access free antivirus programs from McAfee or Microsoft, a calculated new security feature that is meant to make it easier for users to remove malware threats before they spread on the social network. The company also devised a system to inform users if their machines had become infected.
For the past couple of years, we have devised systems to proactively identify spam and other malicious content posted on Facebook by user devices infected with malware. The newly introduced checkpoints allow users to be more proactive, the company said.
Here is how the feature works: Once a Facebook user suspects his computer has been infected with malware, he can opt into Malware Checkpoint, and as soon as Facebook identifies a possible infection it will lock his account. Users can then run either McAfee’s Scan and Repair or Microsoft’s Security Essentials.
Depending upon your choice, the McAfee option will download a small program onto your Windows computer to perform a one-time scan of your system for malware. It will not interfere with your existing antivirus or other security products. After it scans your system, it will give you the option to automatically or manually remove the files it flags as malicious.
On the other hand, the Microsoft Security Essentials option is a full antivirus product. Upon download and install, it will add antivirus software to your computer that will continue to protect your system with the latest antivirus signatures from Microsoft.
Facebook will then allow them to once again access their accounts. Now, we are pleased to offer these tools directly to the people who use our service.
Moreover, during the scanning process, Facebook prompts users with a fairly informative bit of text: ‘Often, users who are infected with malware are tricked into running a malicious program, which infects their machine with malware. Remember, you should never run programs from sources that you do not trust.’
The service is available free of charge, with users able to click here for McAfee Scan and Repair or here for Microsoft Security Essentials.
Moving forward cautions, Malware Checkpoint is the latest in a series of anti-malware measures Facebook has taken in recent months. The social media outifts goal is clear: Make the platform more secure by making it easier for users to protect their systems.