Facebook has added new features to help users make their account more secure and will also regularly prompt you to keep your security information updated. The social networking site now has one-time passwords and the ability to logout remotely. The former is being rolled out gradually, and should be available to everyone in the coming weeks, while the latter is available to everyone now.
One-time passwords make it safer to use public computers in places like hotels, cafés, or airports. Those with concerns about the security of the computer they're using while accessing Facebook can text "otp" to 32665 on their mobile phone and have a one-time password (it expires in 20 minutes) texted back to them to use instead of their regular password. The feature can only be accessed if you have a mobile phone number added to your account.
The ability to logout of Facebook remotely can be useful if you login from a friend's phone or computer and then forget to logout. You can check if you're still logged in on other devices and remotely logout from your Account Settings, under the Account Security section. All of your active sessions are presented there along with information about each session. If someone accesses your account without your permission, you can also shut down the unauthorized login. After that you'll want to reset your password.
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Microsoft: Over two million PCs in the U.S. part of a botnet
The BBC points us to a rather lengthy 240 page report, published by Microsoft, called the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report. Microsoft collected data throughout the first half of this year and found that the United States has the highest number of computers infected with a virus that places them into a botnet.
The study found that over two million computers in the U.S. were reported as having a botnet virus, while the country ranked second place, Brazil, had around 550,000 computers infected. Microsoft used the reported results from their Malicious Software Removal Tool which is updated and delivered every month via Windows Updates.
Though the number infected was highest in the United States, South Korea had the highest percentage of computers infected. 14.6 out of every 1000 South Korean computers are part of a botnet. The US, comparatively, reported in at 5.2 infected computers for every 1000.
Cliff Evans, head of security and identity at Microsoft UK, said,
"The research was undertaken to alert people to the growing danger from the malicious networks. Most people have this idea of a virus and how it used to announce itself. Few people know about botnets. Once they have control of the machine they have the potential to put any kind of malicious code on there. It becomes a distributed computing resource they then sell on to others."
To be sure you aren't infected, you should always keep your computer and your anti-virus up to date. You can also run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft. In Windows XP, go to Start -> Run and type "MRT" or in Windows Vista/7 you can type "MRT" in your Start menu search box.
