For all Windows users, the first application they should always install on their PC is antivirus software. Facebook have announced that they have teamed up with McAfee to offer Facebook users a free 6 month subscription to use their antivirus software.

All you have to do to get the licence is become a fan of McAfee on Facebook. Once the 6 month subscription is over, you will be able to buy another subscription at a discounted price.

From the Facebook blog:

One of the best defenses against security threats is a good offense, and we want to help you take the offensive by having the latest security software installed on your computer. Today, we are announcing a year-long partnership with McAfee to offer all 350 million people who use Facebook the ability to download a six-month subscription to McAfee security software at no cost, along with a special discount once the six months are over.

You can take advantage of this offer by visiting the Protect Your PC tab on the McAfee Page on Facebook.

We’re committed to doing everything we can to help you protect your account and make your experience on Facebook as safe and enjoyable as possible. We invest in dedicated teams and advanced technical systems that detect and block suspicious behavior. When we find a message with a link to a fake login page or other malicious website, we prevent it from being sent and delete all instances of it from the site. We also work with third parties to get malicious sites added to browser blacklists or removed completely.

For the rare case in which an account is compromised, we’ve developed a unique process that requires the account owner to take steps to secure the account and learn security best practices. We’ve also incorporated custom McAfee software into this process for people identified as having infected computers. Now, if your computer is infected, you will be asked to run a scan like the one shown below and clean it before accessing Facebook. We’re not aware of another free Internet service that takes this much responsibility for helping people keep their accounts secure.