HackerUp on Facebook Security (2016)

Mobile Device Security

Mobile Device Security

Every day, 934 million people use Facebook from their mobile devices. The Facebook mobile app makes it simple to see updates, find nearby Friends, and share photos.

Almost half of social media users access Facebook only from their phones. They also use their phones to access email, browse the web, play games, send texts, do their banking, and shop online. Occasionally, they even make phone calls.

If you’re using your smartphone all the time, you may not realize that it’s every bit as vulnerable to attack as your “real” computer. In 2015, the top mobile device attacks included ransomware, unwanted software, and theft of data. Just like your laptop, your smartphone needs password protection, security software, restricting location access, access control, and data backup.

Securing Your Future

Security risks will always be a moving target. Remember the “stalker apps” promising to show you who was viewing your profile that everyone fell for? Or the scam promising to teach you how to hack Facebook accounts that actually hacked your account instead? Scammers try to catch people off guard. New threats appear all the time so it’s important to keep your guard up.

Today’s risk may be obsolete tomorrow. The trick is to be on guard enough to recognize tomorrow’s risk when it arrives.

Facebook pays out over $4.3 million to researchers.

Facebook’s security team works hard to protect you and your Friends. That’s not an easy job given that hackers have time to do just that—discover new vulnerabilities. Relying on security researchers to help disclose security bugs can help uncover serious holes before the scammers do.

Facebook’s Bug Bounty Program rewards researchers who report the security bugs to Facebook so they can be fixed. The carrot? Facebook rewards researchers who responsibly disclose the bug to Facebook via the Bug Bounty Program. The riskier the bug—the bigger the reward. Hats off to Facebook for already doling out $4.3 million to the security researchers who responsibly disclosed bugs based on Facebook’s Bug Bounty guidelines. Go to http://www.Facebook.com/whitehat to report and understand their guidelines.

To learn more about security and to stay up-to-date on threats and new Facebook security features, follow the Facebook security team, and check out the Facebook Security and Facebook Safety pages.