[url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091216/twl-net-users-warned-of-social-networkin-3fd0ae9.html]Source[/url]
[quote]Internet users are being warned to watch out for a new computer virus targeting popular social networking sites in the run up to Christmas.
Sky News has been told that Facebook users are most at risk from a variant of the Koobface virus, which has been disguised as a Festive greetings video, hosted on a YouTube site.
Security experts say the new virus is "particularly nasty" and compels its victims to participate manually in creating a new Facebook account to help spread the worm.
In previous years, variations of this virus have caused chaos across the web.
But internet security experts believe the new worm is likely to prove particularly effective in fooling users, because of the growing number of people who now opt to send out electronic greetings cards.
The attacks work by posting malicious links on Facebook wall pages, inviting users to click on the Christmas card videos. However, any attempt to play the video turns over control of the PC to the attackers.
The victim then sees a warning message, requiring them to solve a Captcha (Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers And Humans Apart) puzzle within three minutes.
A timer ticks down and if the puzzle goes unsolved after the allotted time, the PC freezes up.
Experts warn that rebooting the computer will not help and the only way to end the loop is to solve the Captcha puzzle.
The victim would then be able to use their PC as normal, but the attacker would still have control.
While those targeted grapple with the unfolding problem, the worm separately uses the victim's computer to fill out a new account application, unseen by them.
The new account is then used to post more Christmas video worms in a continuing cycle.
Internet security company Panda Security has been tracking the latest variant of the Koobface worm from its labs in Spain.
"There is no doubting that this latest Koobface attack represents a serious threat to social networkers," the company's UK managing director Peter Lautin told Sky News.
"If someone runs the infected file on their Facebook or MySpace page, the worm will automatically log in to their account and several other social networking sites, sending malicious messages to all their friends.
"The more people who use an application such as Facebook, or any other means of social networking, the more likely they are to be targeted by bad guys to send out malicious threats such as Koobface."
The company recommends that users do not reply to or follow links included in unsolicited Facebook messages and users should always carefully check that the URL they are entering is really that of the site they want to access.[/quote]
[img]http://l.yimg.com/i/i/uk/metro/faceb.jpg[/img]
Oh no another virus easily blockable by most AV's that will infect only the retards on IE6 with no protection.
Only idiots are at risk.
:smug:
Ha! Good thing I have no friends.
In hacker news, we've been alerted that people have found about our 'virus'. Time to send the real one boys!
I don't have a Facebook account :smug:
I don't have a life :smug:
Good thing I don't go on any social networking sites because I'm normal.
however I'm on Facepunch so my argument of being normal is arguable
Good job i only go on Facebook once every month and last i went on was a few days ago.
Put a warning up on my status for my friends. Most are fairly good at seeing things, but there's several who I'm pretty sure would fall for this.
[QUOTE=Daolpu;18996822]Put a warning up on my status for my friends. Most are fairly good at seeing things, but there's several who I'm pretty sure would fall for this.[/QUOTE]
Let them
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;18996956]Let them[/QUOTE]
Or, I could try helping the people I've known for most of my life.
[QUOTE=Daolpu;18996822]Put a warning up on my status for my friends. Most are fairly good at seeing things, but there's several who I'm pretty sure would fall for this.[/QUOTE]
Did the same thing.
Hope they're safe :3:
Although I kind of regret telling the farmville players
I don't know if its related or not, but I keep getting fucking spam messages from half my friends through facebook chat, shits fucking annoying.
Good thing I never use facebook anymore! If you don't have the latest version of IE or FIreFox, then you are a complete idiot.
[i]oh no im scared :O[/i]
I can think of a number of people in my friends list on facebook who will fall for this. I mean one fell for an app that asked you to "validate" your account or it would be closed. I told her it's fake and she was still like "oooh but who knowws it mightt be real".
[QUOTE=ssa gib A;18996269]Good thing I don't go on any social networking sites because I'm normal.
however I'm on Facepunch so my argument of being normal is arguable[/QUOTE]
How exactly are you defining "normal"?
[QUOTE=ssa gib A;18996269]Good thing I don't go on any social networking sites because I'm normal.
however I'm on Facepunch so my argument of being normal is arguable[/QUOTE]
[img]http://www.viruscomix.com/notfunnyagain.jpg[/img]
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