Facebook to tell users if they’ve been targeted by nation-state hackers
Facebook is going to alert its users if the company finds indications their account or their computer has been compromised or even just targeted by hackers working on behalf of a nation-state.
In a Friday blog post, Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said the company will send desktop notifications to users if there are indications their account may be targeted. “Having an account compromised in this manner may indicate that your computer or mobile device has been infected with malware,” write Stamos. “Ideally, people who see this message should take care to rebuild or replace these systems if possible.”
A warning Facebook users will see if the company believes a person has been attacked by a nation-state. (Facebook)
Stamos would not elaborate on how Facebook is able to do detect this certain kind of malicious activity, but will only issue the warnings “where the evidence strongly supports our conclusion.”
Google, which in 2012 began issuing similar warnings to users of its Gmail service, also declines to explain the basis for its attributions.
“We hope that these warnings will assist those people in need of protection, and we will continue to improve our ability to prevent and detect attacks of all kinds against people on Facebook,” Stamos writes.
