Facebook’s Unique Security Feature

Just recently, I discovered additional security feature on the most popular social networking site in the world Facebook. Correct me if I’m wrong if I say it unique but it is the first time that I have encountered and has seen such security feature. I discovered it upon using a proxy server site to access my facebook account. I tried to access my account in a computer laboratory in our school but since facebook.com was disabled by our network administrator because of limited bandwidth offered and to ensure that students focus in their academic assignments. But it comes a time where I feel bored of not doing anything so I decided to try using facebook this time by using proxy server site nakatago.com. I succeeded to open the homepage of the website, but before I logged into my homepage, there were certain questions that were asked before I finally got into my homepage. Sorry to not include the snapshot of the exact things that the website asked me to do but you can try it yourself if you want to. The security check was composed of 4 parts; the first part was to input a captcha image, the second was to verify what was the last thing I did on the site before logging out to determine if I’m the one who did it, the 3rd part was that I asked for my password as part of their verification and authentication if I’m the real owner of that account, the 4th and the last part was just a confirmation that it was me who was the owner of the account and asked to log-in back. By the way the error that was prompted by facebook was that my account was accessed by different Internet Protocol (IP) particularly in the United States while my account was based in the Philippines. This mechanism is part of the feature of a proxy server site hiding the real IP address of facebook.com when the client requested for the website so that it will not be blocked upon its exit with the network in our university. The proxy site also used different IP address to log-in my account.

Honestly, I have been using many proxy server site to access some social networking sites in our school but this was the first time I encountered such security checking. Good for facebook to add such security checking as part of their security measures aside from its native identity checking. Maybe that’s why facebook.com is the most visited website around the world and the most popular social networking site not only with its cool and unique features but also its tight measures in terms of security.