A virus named “Koobface” is infiltrating Facebook’s 120 million users by using the social network’s messaging system to infect PCs, and get credit card numbers.
This is the most recent attempt of hackers looking to take advantage of users on social network sites.
“A few other viruses have tried to use Facebook in similar ways to propagate themselves,” Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said in an e-mail. He said a “very small percentage of users” had been affected by these viruses.
The way Koobface works is by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC has been infected. The messages include a subject header of, “You look just awesome in this new movie,” which directs the recipient to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash player.
Once the software is downloaded, the virus infiltrates their computer, which takes the user to contaminated sites when they try to use search engines.
On Wednesday, McAfee warned that its researchers had discovered that Koobface was making the rounds on Facebook.
Chris Boyd, a researcher with FaceTime Security Labs, said, Facebook requires senders of messages within the network to be members and hides users data from people who do not have accounts. Because of that, users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive in the network.
“People tend to let their guard down. They think you’ve got to log in with an account, so there is no way that worms and other viruses could infect them,” Boyd said.
Facebook has posted a short message on its security page acknowledging the worm's attack. The notice urged users whose accounts had already been compromised to scan their PCs for malware and then reset their passwords.
This is the most recent attempt of hackers looking to take advantage of users on social network sites.
“A few other viruses have tried to use Facebook in similar ways to propagate themselves,” Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said in an e-mail. He said a “very small percentage of users” had been affected by these viruses.
The way Koobface works is by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC has been infected. The messages include a subject header of, “You look just awesome in this new movie,” which directs the recipient to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash player.
Once the software is downloaded, the virus infiltrates their computer, which takes the user to contaminated sites when they try to use search engines.
On Wednesday, McAfee warned that its researchers had discovered that Koobface was making the rounds on Facebook.
Chris Boyd, a researcher with FaceTime Security Labs, said, Facebook requires senders of messages within the network to be members and hides users data from people who do not have accounts. Because of that, users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive in the network.
“People tend to let their guard down. They think you’ve got to log in with an account, so there is no way that worms and other viruses could infect them,” Boyd said.
Facebook has posted a short message on its security page acknowledging the worm's attack. The notice urged users whose accounts had already been compromised to scan their PCs for malware and then reset their passwords.
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