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Expert faults Facebook security queries

Social networking site Facebook has come under criticism from an internet security expert who has faulted the site's security questions needed as part of the registration process.

According to Sean Sullivan of F-Secure, the questions, which are also used by the site to protect users' accounts, are easy enough to break through because they are based on social issues that may be common knowledge.

These include queries that ask people for their mother's maiden name, third grade teacher or the street they grew up on.

"Security challenge questions based on social information is probably not the best of ideas on a social networking site. Particularly now that Facebook's user base is as expansive as it is," said Mr Sullivan.

"After all, who's going to know personal details about yourself?" he posed, adding that "Facebook should revise this sooner than later" because even friends can be a risk.

Such questions were reportedly exploited by a hacker who managed to break into Hollywood actress Salma Hayek's MobileMe account recently.

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