Facebook Protect, a security programme for users who are more likely to be targeted by hackers, such as journalists and government officials, is being expanded by Meta Platforms.
‘Facebook Protect’ was first tested in 2018 and then expanded ahead of the 2020 US elections.
Facebook Protect’ assists these individuals in implementing stronger account security measures, such as two-factor authentication, and keeps an eye on any hacking threats.
“In September of this year, we launched our global growth. Since then, over 1.5 million accounts have enabled Facebook Protect, with approximately 950K of those enrolling in two-factor authentication for the first time “Meta’s Head of Security Policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in a statement late Thursday.
Unless you receive a message on Facebook stating you are qualified, there is no need to take any action.
“By the end of the year, we expect to have expanded the programme to more than 50 nations, including the United States, India, and Portugal,” he said.
Internet Service Provider CenturyLink has won a multiyear contract worth up to $10.8 million dollars to fill gaps in a governmentwide firewall, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The deal was inked to complete a goal of making so-called EINSTEIN 3A network protections available to all civilian agencies by Dec. 31, a DHS official told Nextgov on Tuesday.
It also conforms to a sweeping cyber shape-up plan the White House launched in October, following an Office of Personnel Management hack that exposed background check records on 21.5 million Americans applying for access to classified materials and their families. Right now, EINSTEIN 3A’s intrusion-blocking services are only offered to agencies receiving telecommunications services from CenturyLink, AT&T or Verizon. Agencies that connect to the Internet through Sprint, Level 3 or other providers are not protected.
CenturyLink now will secure those agencies that cannot obtain EINSTEIN 3A services from their ISPs. “We’re the only provider authorized to offer E3A to federal civilian agencies where CenturyLink is not the Internet service provider,” company spokeswoman Linda Johnson said.
AT&T and Verizon will continue offering the services to their respective customers, the DHS official said. CenturyLink’s EINSTEIN 3A program blocks suspicious domain names, filters out malicious email and looks for “signatures” of hacking activity, company officials said on Monday.
“DHS has issued a contract action that will provide EINSTEIN 3A protections to participating agencies that are not covered by the ISPs currently under contract,” Shaun Donovan, the White House Office of Management and Budget director, and Tony Scott, the U.S. chief information officer, said in the memo.
News Summary:
- Meta expands its anti-piracy program; Some users must be protected
- Check all news and articles from the latest Security news updates.
