Facebook Proactively Searching For Compromised User Data

We see it a lot lately — some hacker makes a big data grab, then dumps the info in a dark corner of the web. The most recent victim of polarizing headlines about compromised data has been Dropbox. While claiming the username/password combinations taken were dated, they still faced a lot of furrowed brows at the data grab. Securing your own servers is a smart measure, but Facebook — perhaps the biggest data fish in the sea — is taking it a step further, and has taken to hunting in the deep waters.

Today, Facebook took to their blog to discuss how they're keeping our info safe. Rather than walk us through their security measures in-house, they discuss their efforts outside of Facebook. The social giant has taken to anonymous sites like Pastebin, searching for password dumps.

If they find a source, Facebook tries to match it to the alleged owner's (that's you) Facebook account via an in-house program. If there's a match, your account is locked down, and you get a notification your password was reset.

While your Facebook credentials may not have been leaked, Facebook knows you're lazy. Password recycling isn't the best idea for anyone, but plenty of people do it. If a hacker had your email and password from another service — one you've recycled on Facebook — that would be a problem.

One smart way to securely lock-down all your passwords, and even create new ones, is to have a program like 1Password. A password creator and vault, 1Password (and programs like it) can help you stop the recycling, and provide a quick way to recreate a new secure password if one was compromised.

Source: Facebook