Facebook Warns Users It Thinks Are Being Targeted In State-Sponsored Attacks

Facebook  is now alerting users it thinks are being targeted by state-sponsored hackers.

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based social media giant announced the new policy in a post on Friday. If Facebook suspects an account is being targeted by a hacker working on behalf of a government, the social network will notify the user that it believes the account is at risk. In the notification, Facebook prompts users to turn on "Login Approvals," which requires users to enter a security code sent by Facebook in order to log in. The message also encourages users to secure their other online accounts. The move follows in the footsteps of Google , which launched a similar alert system in 2012 for Google Accounts. The new feature builds on other recent security initiatives at the social network, such as its decision in June to make it possible to keep email notifications between the site and its users encrypted through public encryption keys.

"While we have always taken steps to secure accounts that we believe to have been compromised, we decided to show this additional warning if we have a strong suspicion that an attack could be government-sponsored," Facebook's chief security officer Alex Stamos said in a blog post on Friday. "We do this because these types of attacks tend to be more advanced and dangerous than others, and we strongly encourage affected people to take the actions necessary to secure all of their online accounts."

"It's important to understand that this warning is not related to any compromise of Facebook's platform or systems, and that having an account compromised in this manner may indicate that your computer or mobile device has been infected with malware," Stamos added.

Users who receive the notification should consider replacing their computer or mobile device if possible, Stamos said. To protect its process, Facebook said it often won't be able to explain why it believes evidence points strongly toward an attack.  The social network constantly monitors for malicious activity related to users' accounts and will continue to look for better ways to prevent and detect attacks on users, the company said.