Facebook opens “checkpoint” for virus infections

Facebook this week announced a new "malware checkpoint" capability through which users who believe their accounts have been infected can test them against one of two anti-virus products. In April, Facebook began offering free anti-virus to its approximately 900 million active users whose accounts it confirmed were compromised. Now, members can either run McAfee Scan and Repair or Microsoft Security Essential technology without first consulting with Facebook. "Previously if you suspected you may have malware installed on your device, you would either need to run anti-virus on your device [separate of us] or wait until Facebook identified an actionable threat," said a Facebook Security blog post.