Techonomix

One of the most popular social networking websites in the world is under security attack. Thousands of Facebook users worldwide have been affected by this new attack. This is not just a virus, nor is it just a worm, but the latest threat to hit Facebook is actually a combination of a virus, a worm, a spam attack and a phishing attack. A very large number of worried individuals have emailed me over the last few days about it. What is this security threat all about? Should you be worried? What should you do? What should you not do? Read on for the lowdown on this latest Facebook scam.

How does it spread?

You will receive a private message from one of your friends with the subject "Hello". In some variants, it could also be a simple Wall post on your profile. The message will contain a link to a fake Facebook page (a page that looks like the real deal, but is actually not) that tries to steal your facebook account username and password. The link that gets displayed will either be in the tinyurl format or have an .at extension or will be in other unusual forms. Once it gets your account information, the worm will spread by sending copies of itself to everybody on your friends list via a private message or wall post.

What does it do?

When unsuspecting victims click on the link in the private message or wall post, a fake facebook login page shows up on the screen. Users think that they might have been logged out, hence enter their username & password thinking that it will go to Facebook. But unfortunately, in reality the account information gets sent to the criminals. Some variations of the attack also infect users with the Koobface worm, install the Trojan.BHO and spread other malicious worms. Another variation doing the round tries to steal users credit card details by pretending to sell them Viagra and other typical "spam products".

What are the real dangers?

Your facebook account information can be stolen.

Your credit card details can be stolen.

Your computer could be infected with some low risk malware.

Your account will be used to spread the virus amongst all your friends.

What should you do to protect yourself?

- Do not panic.

- Use your common sense.

- Be more careful about clicking on links in private messages & wall posts even if they are sent to you by your friends.

- Real the browser URL carefully before entering your Facebook account information.

- Use updated browsers that have anti-phishing black lists. For example, you can use Internet Explorer 8.0, Firefox 3.0.10 and others.

- Do not use the same username and password for all your accounts.

- Follow the Facebook Security Page for the latest information news, updates & information on security issues on Facebook. You can visit this page at http://www.facebook.com/security.

- Use some updated Antivirus software.

- If you have already infected, then make sure you reset your password asap and scan your computer for malware with an updated Antivirus software.