Sophos, an IT security and data protection company, has announced that it has partnered with Facebook to help protect users of the social network against links leading to malware and malicious sites.
When Facebook users click a link, the network checks against its database of malicious URLs to check the status of the link. SophosLabs will be feeding its malicious URL intelligence into this database, thereby adding an additional layer of protection for users. If the link is found to be malicious, users will be sent to a page that offers the choice to continue at their own risk, or return to the previous screen. The user can also choose to find more information as to why the link was flagged as suspicious.
Joe Sullivan, chief of security, Facebook said: “We are pleased to begin partnering with Sophos to better protect our users both on and off of Facebook. We believe incorporating Sophos’s industry-leading computer security intelligence, and expertise, will help us provide even more security to those using Facebook.”
Mark Harris, vice president, SophosLabs said: “For many hundreds of millions of people, Facebook has become the default forum for sharing and consuming opinions, news and personal content. Because content is typically posted by a trusted source – a friend – many users incorrectly assume links are safe. Scammers often take advantage of the trust relationship to fool users into clicking malicious links. Our partnership with Facebook will educate users to make more informed decisions regarding what they click on and will help reduce the spread of malicious links.”
