Despite the alarming subject, Facebook’s website was not hacked (to our knowledge), just a few employees. Nonetheless, this is a perfect example of how an Advanced Persistent Threat could gain access to even one of the largest websites on the planet.

Recently, several of Facebook’s engineers had been hacked using a zero-day Java attack that installed a collection of previously unseen malware. Even their antivirus software was unable to catch the attack. “It was novel” said Facebook’ Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan. “The fact that the machines were patched didn’t slow down the attackers.”

Facebook understands that they are under the constant threat of attackers looking to expose the personal data of their 1 billion active users. They even undergo routine drills to help prevent and mitigate any issue that might attack them.

Most home users do not have a Chief Security Officer, or a dedicated team devoted to securing our PCs. If it could happen to Facebook, it could happen to you. Please be sure to use your XVU Drive whenever you access secure content such as online banking, social media, etc.

Surf Safe!