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Facebook Adds Malicious Link Protection

Posted by samzenpus on from the click-away-grandma dept.

wiredmikey writes "As any IT security department knows, social networks pose a significant threat to users across the board as they blindly click links which often lead to spam or other malicious sites that could result in malware infection. In a move to further protect users of the world's largest social networking site, Facebook is adding a new feature to help protect users from links to these malicious sites. Starting today, when a Facebook user clicks on a link it will be checked against a database from Websense in an attempt to determine if the link is malicious. If the link is determined to be risky, the user will be given the choice to continue at their own risk, return to the previous screen, or get more information on why it was flagged as suspicious."

12 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Facebook vs. others by tech4 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sure, it might be used for blocking malicious links now.. but what about when competing social networks, like Diaspora, emerge? Looking at Facebook's history I'm sure they will use it to block users moving to Diaspora and reading about Diaspora. It will be used as an opinion suppression tool.

    1. Re:Facebook vs. others by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Or, to use a simple comparison to something that both exists NOW and ISN'T a Duke Nukem Forever-like vaporware joke (both in persistent nonexistence AND inevitable lack of impact if/when it finally is released), links to Google+ streams.

    2. Re:Facebook vs. others by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      Apparantly Suckerborg himself donated to Diaspora to help fund its development. Would be interesting to see his motivation there. Was he simply donating to a "good cause"?

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    3. Re:Facebook vs. others by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He was basically laughing at the idea that Diaspora would turn out to be anything but a never-left-the-ground wankfest for the RMS-style dot communists.

      G+ probably has him worried. Diaspora is a joke.

    4. Re:Facebook vs. others by Sockatume · · Score: 2

      I don't know how to break this to you, but there are other social networks. Some of them even existed before Facebook!

      --
      No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  2. Hm. by scxw65d · · Score: 2

    Ignoring potential future abuses, wouldn't it make more sense to disallow the posting of likely-malicious links? The vast majority of users won't read the warning text and will just click through.

  3. Link is broken by miaDWZ · · Score: 3, Informative

    Correct URL: http://www.securityweek.com/facebook-adds-malicious-link-protection-powered-websense

    1. Re:Link is broken by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's what the submitter included, but Slashdot's "useful direct link TFA" blocking technology kicked in.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  4. What about bad apps? by Sockatume · · Score: 2

    I've yet to have a relative's computer contract a virus because of a Facebook link, but it seems that every other day they've got some Facebook app spamming everyone on their friends list because of the promise of free online poker or whatever. When does Facebook intend to do something about that? Ever?

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  5. Google+ by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 3, Informative

    Let me guess... Google+ is listed as a malicious website.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  6. Chrome already does this by CuriousGeorge113 · · Score: 2

    This sounds a lot like the 'Safe Browsing' feature already built into Chrome. It provides a warning screen on a suspicious page, and then allows the user to continue, or to go back.

    As long as there is an opt-out setting, I really don't see what the big deal is. Am I missing something?

    --
    No man is an island, But if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie them together, they make a pretty good raft.
  7. If visiting a site can result in malware infection by Hentes · · Score: 2

    then you have much bigger problems than Facebook.