Facebook Users Receive Free Malware Scanning Tool

A free security tool that can tell Facebook users whether they have been infected with malware has been made available by ESET.

When a user logs into the social network, Facebook checks to see whether the account has been used to spread spam messages or infected links and if such activity has been detected, users are offered the chance to sue ESET Online Scanner for Facebook to clean up their system.

Facebook security tool

The tool can be used at the same time as the social network and users are issued with a notification when the cleanup has been completed. It is the third such partnership Facebook has agreed with a security vendor to combat the growing threat of malware on the site, following deals with F-Secure and Trend Micro.

“A larger number of providers increases the chances that malware will get caught and cleaned up, which will help people on Facebook keep their information more secure,” says Chetan Gowda, a software engineer on the Site Integrity Team.

“We’ve worked with ESET to incorporate their finely tuned security software directly into our existing abuse detection and prevention systems, similarly to what we did earlier this year with the other providers. Together, these three systems will help us block malicious links and harmful sites from populating the News Feeds and Messages of the 1.35 billion people who use Facebook.”

In 2012, Facebook signed similar deals with a raft of anti-virus vendors. It opened an Antivirus Marketplace, where users could download free security software, with licenses lasting six months.

One of the most recent scams on Facebook saw users tricked into sharing and liking a video as part of a fake contest to win an Audi R8. However, the sites hosting the videos are also running the JS:Trojan.JS.Likejack.A code that can be used for “clickjacking” on hidden commercials.

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