Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has unveiled a security surveillance system that seems to take its platform protection to the next level. The updated security measure will particularlyseek to thwart attempts by government to gain access to people’s accounts on Facebook.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is promising to bolster account security for its about 1.5 billion subscribers. The company has introduced measures that will specifically monitor targeted attacks that appear to be spearheaded by government actors. Nevertheless, it won’t be possible for outsiders to tell how Facebook figures out whether an attack is government-sponsored or not.
According to Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, the company will notify subscribers if it has reasonable grounds to believe that their accounts are targeted by hackers with government blessings. In addition to sending out notifications, Facebook will also send a security code to the phone of the genuine account owner to ensure that only they can log into the targeted account.
Activate account security measures
The company recommends that those who have been tipped of attempted malicious access to their accounts should move fast to secure their accounts. One of the measures that the company says one can take in such situation is turning on Login Approvals feature.
Why Facebook is keen on government attacks
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is escalating efforts to thwart government interference of the accounts of its subscribers because it attributes greater threat to government activities. For example, the company says that government-backed account hacking usually appear to be more advanced and can be more dangerous than most other cyber-attacks.
Closely guarded surveillance method
Although Facebook has committed to keep its subscribers safe from government interference, the company said it will disclose how it identifies governments-sponsored hacking on its platform.The reason for not divulging how it attributes attacks to certain hackers is part of Facebook’sefforts to protect the integrity of its enhanced surveillance method and process.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has also clarified that the targeted attacks warning that it has issued is not related to any breach of its platform.