In one of the more unique working relationships in high tech, Moscow-based security vendor Kaspersky Lab is now supplying Facebook with up-to-the-minute data about the latest malicious software threats worldwide.
Facebook will be using the Kaspersky intelligence to protect Facebook users from inadvertently visiting malicious Web pages.
According to Kaspersky, people are more likely to click on a link shared by a friend, and this inherent trust is something cyber-criminals prey upon. Malicious URLs can automatically share themselves with a victim’s personal contacts without the user’s knowledge, making the links appear legitimate.
How the process with Kaspersky and Facebook will work has the social networking power comparing links shared or clicked on by Facebook users. These links will instantly be compared against Kaspersky Lab’s database of malicious Web pages. If the link matches Facebook’s list of “known-bad” URLs the user will be immediately notified and blocked from visiting the Web page.
This process may prevent the user’s personal information and computer from being put at risk, but stops the malicious links from spreading further.
Kaspersky Lab has more than 800 anti-malware experts who work around the globe and around the clock to not only analyzing threats but combat cybercrime also. Using the information from the Kaspersky Security Network – a cloud-based repository from Kaspersky customers who voluntarily share real-time data on attempted infections and malware activity – Kaspersky experts can analyze data and produce up-to-the-second protection for its 300 million users protected by Kaspersky products and technologies around the globe, the company said.
In addition to supplying Facebook with threat information, Kaspersky will also contribute advice, tips and informative articles to the Facebook Security page. This resource centre keeps the online community informed about the latest cyber-threats and provides regular reminders of safe online browsing habits.
The partnership will also include an opporunity for Kaspersky to supply Facebook users with a free six-month subscription for its security products. This six-month offer allows users to download Kaspersky Pure Total Security and Kaspersky Security for Mac. These offers can be accessed through the “AV Marketplace” tab on Facebook Security page.
Steve Orenberg, president of Kaspersky North America, said when Kaspersky Lab was founded 15 years ago, we could only imagine the ways technology would interconnect the citizens of the Internet and what a huge impact this would have on individuals and society as a whole. The mission of Kaspersky Lab has always been to protect people and businesses as they connect online, and there is no network that is leading the future of online connections like Facebook. Both companies are the best at what we do, so it makes sense to work together toward a safer Internet for all.
Joe Sullivan, Chief Security Officer for Facebook, said the people who use Facebook will be able to benefit from Kaspersky’s industry-leading intelligence and technology with their malicious URL data and inclusion in the AV Marketplace.
Anti-virus vendor AVAST Software will also share its Virus Lab data with Facebook in the combined attempt to prevent malware being shared unknowingly by Facebook users.
The AVAST Virus Lab, which maintains a cloud database of millions of malware-infected files and Web sites, now provides Facebook with access to its real-time cloud, which includes even newly discovered ‘zero-day’ threats.
