We’ve all experienced it. A friend posts a status update that seems a little out of character, but curiosity gets the best of us. We click the link and bang. Our computer is infected with Malware, our account is spewing out a new set of spammy links, and we’re cursing Facebook for not doing something about it.
Well, now Facebook are doing something about it – and malware links on the site could be a thing of the past.
Following a survey in July, which stated that 81% of Facebook users are worried about security, the social network has decided to hire the leading security firm Websense to vet every link which is shared on the site.
This news follows Facebook’s recent work alongside Web of Trust and McAfee, who they hired in an attempt to make the network safer for users and crack down on bogus applications. But this time Facebook are more worried about where users are being sent to elsewhere on the web.
And with good reason, as an internet security firm have recently shown that two thirds of all shortened links on social networks are pointed at malware and phishing sites.
So, from now on, the hundreds of millions of links posted on Facebook will be automatically checked to ensure that you can click with confidence. Welcome news to those of us whose friends just can’t seem to come up with a secure enough password…
If your business isn’t on Facebook yet, there’s still time to take advantage of our fantastic Optimise Magazine Facebook Business Page offer!
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