A few months ago I mentioned the firesheep extension for Firefox. This is a nifty/scary little critter that does some potentially scary stuff with respect to your social networking accounts.
Back when I wrote that post I mentioned one good way to protect yourself is to ensure you’re using SSL (https) when browsing the vulnerable sites.
This week the Facebook blog announced a new security option to force SSL when visiting your Facebook pages.
Starting today we’ll provide you with the ability to experience Facebook entirely over HTTPS. You should consider enabling this option if you frequently use Facebook from public Internet access points found at coffee shops, airports, libraries or schools. The option will exist as part of our advanced security features, which you can find in the “Account Security” section of the Account Settings page.
Sadly, it isn’t on by default, but it is very simple to turn it on – I encourage all Facebook users to do so – especially if you’re using Facebook while “on the go” via open wireless networks. But even if you’re not using wifi, it is still a good practice to follow.
One welcome side-effect? FB chat now works over SSL. Up until this release, that never worked for me.
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Still not rolled out to my account.
That’s disappointing. I had it on the first day and (naively) assumed everybody would get it at once.