Facebook Increases Security with One-Time Passwords
Facebook rolled out a new feature on Oct. 13 that increases security by offering users a one-time password for accessing the hugely popular social networking site from a public computer or shared network.
As explained in a Facebook blog post, the one-time password affords the user another level of security when logging on in a shared, public space such as a hotel, coffee shop, or airport -- any place where hackers could spread malware and steal personal data. The user must text opt to 32665, and he will receive a temporary password that can only be used once and expires in 20 minutes.
The one-time password feature is being rolled out in stages, and should be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
Facebook took another safety precaution by opening up its remote log out feature to everyone. Under the Account Settings, a user can see if he is still logged on to another device, and if so, he can sign off.
The blog also announced that Facebook will begin regularly prompting users to update their security information passwords, email addresses, phone numbers -- in the event their account is exploited.
