Facebook unveils warning system to let users know when ‘government-sponsored’ hackers target them

THE social media giant will now alert users whenever they come under surveillance from government-sponsored links. Here’s how it works.

Facebook will warn users of state-sponsored attacks

SOCIAL media giant Facebook will now alert users whenever they come under surveillance from government-sponsored links.

In a blog post, chief security officer at Facebook, Alex Stamos said the company would flag up “targeted attacks”.

“Starting today, we will notify you if we believe your account has been targeted or compromised by an attacker suspected of working on behalf of a nation-state,” Stamos said.

“To protect the integrity of our methods and processes, we often won’t be able to explain how we attribute certain attacks to suspected attackers.

He explains that the warning is necessary because government-sponsored attacks “tend to be more advanced and dangerous than others.”

CREDIT: Facebook Facebook will now alert users whenever they come under surveillance from government-sponsored spooks. In a blog post, Alex Stamos, chief security officer at Facebook, said the social network will flag up "targeted attacks".

Facebook identifies the primary source of such attacks as users’ own computers and mobile devices, infected by malware tools.

“It’s important to understand that this warning is not related to any compromise of Facebook’s platform or systems.

“We hope that these warnings will assist those people in need of protection, and we will continue to improve our ability to prevent and detect attacks of all kinds against people on Facebook.

“They should then check their computer for malware or viruses as well as change their password to lock out spooks or hackers,” Stamos added.