Facebook has just introduced a security feature intended to protect against malware and chat hijackings.

The site will now challenge attempts to access your account from an unrecognized device, using a setting that Facebook calls login approvals.

Activate this setting and Facebook sends a text message to your mobile phone with an access code that would need to be inputted to complete the signing on process.

Any time your account is accessed from a device previously unassociated with your account, Facebook would send a confirmation code to your phone and request that you input the text to complete the login.

If you ever misplace your cell phone and have the login approvals setting turned on, then you’ll need to sign on to Facebook from a device already associated with your account.

This certainly sounds like a way to prevent chat hijackings, although we’re looking forward to trying out the feature ourselves to see how it works.

Even if the feature works perfectly, it’s probably only a matter of time before some hacker figures out how to surmount the login approval — that historical pattern keeps the security industry in business. Hopefully, whenever the next breach happens, Facebook will be able to catch up with the n’er-do-wells faster.

Readers, do you think the new login approvals feature will suffice as a protection against chat hijackings?