Facebook are to begin handing out free security software by McAfee to 350 million of its users in order to combat spam on the site.
The social networking giant announced the partnership forged with McAfee and the deal in a blog post today, as well as the complimentary offer for Facebook users:
“One of the best defenses against security threats is a good offense, and we want to help you take the offensive by having the latest security software installed on your computer. Today, we are announcing a year-long partnership with McAfee to offer all 350 million people who use Facebook the ability to download a six-month subscription to McAfee security software at no cost, along with a special discount once the six months are over.”
Facebook stressed that despite the measures put in place to protect users, they have limited power over other websites out there, hence the collaboration with McAfee to tackle the problem.
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The offer is available to users in the US, UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Therefore not necessarily all of its users, but McAfee have stated they will be adding other countries in the future.
The Facebook blog post also mentioned the work that went in to protecting its users from malicious websites and emails:
“We invest in dedicated teams and advanced technical systems that detect and block suspicious behavior. When we find a message with a link to a fake login page or other malicious website, we prevent it from being sent and delete all instances of it from the site. We also work with third parties to get malicious sites added to browser blacklists or removed completely.”
For the rare case in which an account is compromised, we’ve developed a unique process that requires the account owner to take steps to secure the account and learn security best practices. We’ve also incorporated custom McAfee software into this process for people identified as having infected computers.”
For those wanting the free McAfee software, click here to be taken to McAfee’s Facebook Page, and follow the steps. Once added to a computer, if the McAfee software finds a security breach, the user will be urged to run a scan like the one below:
To read Facebook’s recommendations on how to prevent spam, phishing and other security problems visit their blog and read the steps.
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