Facebook users still putting their friends at risk

BitDefender Safego finds nearly 25% of its users have at least one friend spreading malicious content

Marking the full launch of its Safego security application, BitDefender®, an award winning provider of innovative internet security solutions, has announced that nearly 25% of Safego Beta users have at least one Facebook friend who has spread malicious content to others.

With public awareness about the threats present on social networks growing, it was found that 24.6% of Safego users had at least one friend who had posted an infected item, such as a suspicious application or a link to further potentially harmful content. Such items can have serious consequences, including receiving targeted scam emails and even identity theft.

In comparison, only 0.7% of Safego users spread malicious content to their friends – an endorsement of the effectiveness and importance of securing your social network accounts with a reliable application.

Catalin Cosoi, head of online threats lab at BitDefender commented:

“These statistics reinforce the fact that everyone should exercise caution when using social networks – for their friend’s sake as well as their own. Simply trusting that people won’t post malicious content is not enough, as in many cases they may do so without realising due to the application posting on the user’s behalf.

“Using Safego is free, simple and offers a very important layer of security for Facebook users. It will help keep both them and their friends safe in the face of the threats out there.”

The full version of BitDefender Safego for Facebook launches on Tuesday June 28th. It offers a range of key benefits, including:

- 24/7 scanning of newsfeeds for malicious content

- The “Friend’o’meter” to help build a safe network of friends

- Integrated Quickscan, which relies on award-winning BitDefender technologies to check your PC for threats within 60 seconds

The app can be accessed here: http://apps.facebook.com/bd-safego

An infographic on the evolution of Facebook scams has also been produced to mark the full launch of BitDefender Safego – available from:

http://www.malwarecity.com/media/images/infgrfsafego.png

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