Facebook teams with McAfee

After a string of high-profile security issues for Facebook in recent months, its users are finally in for a pleasant surprise with a new deal recently announced between the social networking giant and security software company McAfee.

Every one of Facebook’s account holders, which are reported to total 350 million, will receive six months’ free virus protection (followed by a discounted subscription price for the software after the six months are up).

What the deal will mean for users is that should their Facebook account become compromised, an automatic pop-up will offer the user a free scan and repair program (from Mcafee) the next time they try to log in.

While currently only available to users in the UK, United States, Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, Facebook has announced that additional countries (New Zealand presumably being on the list) will be announced in the coming months.