In 2014, Facebook took the bold step of cleaning up compromised computers that Facebook users use when connecting to the social networking site. The strategy involved using a combination of signals to help find infections and get malware off a user’s computer. For the last one year, Facebook has been working with a host of antivirus companies including ESET, F-Secure, and Trend Micro to offer free malware cleanup software.
According to a blog post by the Facebook security team, this strategy has allowed them to clean up more than 2 million computers that were infected with malware in the last three months. The clean up takes place through a tool that runs in the background using Facebook and users get a notification after a complete scan.
Facebook has now added Kaspersky Lab to the rooster of antivirus companies involved in the scan. Kaspersky was involved in the clean up exercise, aiding in securing 260,000 people from malware. If the guys at Facebook detect malware on your computer, they will offer Kaspersky Malware Scan for Facebook among our other cleanup tools to help take care of the problem. With over 1 billion users worldwide, Facebook is a target of malware attacks and other information security threats. Interestingly, reports emerged this past week that the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ social engineered the Kaspersky anti-virus in order to track users and infiltrate networks. This June Kaspersky suffered a security breach, which did not access any user data but focused on Kaspersky intellectual property through spying on its newest and latest technologies.
