Are you a Facebook member? If so, pay attention to the latest hijack threat as reported here by PCWorld:
Hot on the heels of a reported hijacking of hundreds of Facebook groups, a new variation on an old worm is crawling its way into the social network’s walls. Attackers have released an updated, more intelligent version of the notorious Koobface virus, security analysts say–and anyone could become its next victim.
The Facebook Hijack
First, the hijacking: An organization called “Control Your Info” apparently took control of as many as 300 Facebook groups over the past several days. Members added their own logo onto the pages, announcing they’d “hijacked” the groups and providing a link back to their own site.
(Facebook maintains no confidential information was ever exposed–the affected groups, representatives say, were abandoned and open for any member to take over.)
The “Control Your Info” Web site states that the organization’s mission was to expose security holes in social media–a fitting segue to today’s new threat.
Facebook’s New Concern
The new threat has a familiar name. Koobface–which, by the way, is an anagram of the word Facebook–first popped up in mid-2008 and has been pestering users ever since.
The worm typically works by taking over your PC, then sending messages or wall postings to your friends. The messages include links to what appear to be funny videos or risqué photos of people you and your friends know. Anyone who follows the links, however, will ultimately end up infected with the malware themselves–usually by way of a bogus software update that pops up on-screen. [more]