Facebook Follies: More Malware
The Guardian warns of two new major malware attacks circulating via Facebook.
The first instance is actually a genuine IQ test, which takes control of your profile and signs you up to a $10 per month premium mobile phone service. If you spot a link along the lines of ‘I’m NEVER texting AGAIN’ in your feed, then be sure to stay clear.
(snip)
The second rogue has its main intent on becoming viral through your friends. The page ‘99% of people can’t watch this video for more than 25 seconds’ suggests you copy some Javascript code into a browser window to view the video.
The story links to a description from AVG of what the first item does; it goes on to warn that no legitimate Facebook app would ask you to copy code into your browser’s address bar.
Facebook’s growth has made Facebook a tempting target for malware authors. Although I have my gripes about Facebook, I can’t blame them for being a tempting target–they have become so by making something that lots of persons like. Back in the old days, you would find pickpockets frequenting places where the crowds were. Now the crowds have moved on line, and the cyber-pickpockets have merely followed them.
I can, however, wish that persons who use computers would take a little more time to learn about how to use them safely.