Let’s take a look at the new feature introduced by Facebook to ensure your account’s security
By: Natalia Wolfgang on Oct 20, 2015 at 6:34 am EST
User privacy
is a major concern for everyone who is connected with the Internet, but
primarily for the ones who are connected to social networking platforms
such as Facebook and Twitter. These users are not only threatened by
individual hackers but also by state-sponsored cyber assaults, which are
done by a nation-state. Social networks try to ensure that their users'
privacy is not infiltrated by any means, and Facebook has taken this
safety of users one step further by introducing a new feature that
alerts users of any possible state-sponsored attack.
The company has launched this new notification that will pop up
warning users if any such attack takes place and advises users to turn
on “Login Approvals”- a new addition to security of accounts that makes
Facebook accounts more protected. The Approval feature stops anyone
other than users. It is something quite similar that Google introduced
years ago for Gmail accounts. Once users activate it they will be
notified whenever a person signs in from a new device or a web browser,
which the user has not previously used to login the account. With the
alert the person who owns the account will also receive a security code
from the company on your smartphone, which only that specific person can
enter to log in to the account.
Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, explained the new message (which will appear as a warning) that the company has always tried making users privacy as secure as possible by taking all the necessary steps. Now with the introduction of this new alert message it has decided to protect its users from any possible state-sponsored attacks. He added that the company believes that state-sponsored attacks can be dangerous and advanced than attacks attempted by individual hackers and it strongly suggests that all affected users ensure the safety of their accounts.
Moreover the company has no plans of unveiling how it differentiates between a hack is that is attempted by anyone hired by the government or either an individual, but states that the warning will only appear when Facebook has evidence that “strongly supports” its findings.
It should be kept in mind that all users who use the social network are not threatened by state-sponsored attacks on a daily basis, and probably one might never be threatened all his life, but it still is a potential threat. This is why the company has announced this feature. The introduction of this warning is beneficial for the company too, as it would gain the trust of more users.
Lastly, the company recently also rolled out a security checkup tool,
which also provides alerts when someone logs into your accounts from a
new browser or device. The tool also gives an option to users to log out
of their account from apps or browsers they no longer use. All these
measures clearly indicate how actively Facebook is taking measures to
provide safety to its users in all
Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, explained the new message (which will appear as a warning) that the company has always tried making users privacy as secure as possible by taking all the necessary steps. Now with the introduction of this new alert message it has decided to protect its users from any possible state-sponsored attacks. He added that the company believes that state-sponsored attacks can be dangerous and advanced than attacks attempted by individual hackers and it strongly suggests that all affected users ensure the safety of their accounts.
Moreover the company has no plans of unveiling how it differentiates between a hack is that is attempted by anyone hired by the government or either an individual, but states that the warning will only appear when Facebook has evidence that “strongly supports” its findings.
It should be kept in mind that all users who use the social network are not threatened by state-sponsored attacks on a daily basis, and probably one might never be threatened all his life, but it still is a potential threat. This is why the company has announced this feature. The introduction of this warning is beneficial for the company too, as it would gain the trust of more users.
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