Hackers are now using your friends’ accounts to transmit viruses. “Hey, I have this hilarious video of you dancing. Your face is so red. You should check it out!” If you’ve received a message like that through a Facebook or MySpace friend, you may have been exposed to the “Koobface” virus. Here’s what’s going on . . .
Hackers have now made a new cozy home for themselves on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Disguised as one of your friends, they’ll send you a direct message with a video link attached. If you click on the link, you’re prompted to update your Flash player to see the video, and therein lies the virus, cloaked in a “flash_player.exe” file. Once installed, this worm transforms your computer into a Zombie machine as part of a botnet (a network of computers that are controlled and used by the originator of the worm for unscrupulous purposes).
Are You Really At Risk?
Unless you are aware of these scams, it is very easy to become infected. Some of the direct messages and tweets have titles that are very deceptive. Some of the more common messages will say, “Here’s the video I mentioned . . .”, or “LOL,” or “My friend caught you on hidden cam,” or “My home video :)” These messages are followed by a link directing you to a page to watch the video. These seemingly harmless messages can quickly infect your office or home computer, allowing hackers a free pass in. In addition, they can block you from accessing important security updates, making your network even more susceptible to hacker attacks. In some cases, they use their free access to your computer to steal bank account information, credit card numbers, social security numbers and other confidential data.
Avoid downloading anything from messages on Twitter or Facebook, even if the message is from someone you know. As a general rule, never download any file if you are not 100% certain it is secure and virus free.
Donna Pogroszewski
Communications and Network Services
01/26/2010 |