Facebook Users Should be Careful of a Computer Virus

According to reports published during August 2008, users of social networking site, Facebook, were attacked with computer virus that leads the site to issue an alert for its users to be careful while working and not trapped in any virus attack.

The Facebook claimed that the virus is circulated in a mail disguised as a video sent by a friend.

The reports also revealed that Facebook has almost 60 Million users which include KATU (TV station broadcasting) situated at Portland in Oregon, US.

The report also informed that one of the TV station's reporters - Dan Tilkin - had registered on Facebook after his friends and colleagues persuaded him, and got an e-mail which he thought a friendly mail from a producer, as reported by KATU2 on August 26, 2008.

However, the link in the malicious mail took him to a site that looked like playing a video and compelled him to upgrade his system's software to view the video. But unfortunately, the download in the mail proves to be a virus.

Though it is still not clear what the Facebook virus actually did, security experts commented that as it was malicious oriented, it might surely cause some damage to the system. Further, a computer virus is also called "malicious software" or malware.

Therefore, citing the example of KATU workers affected by the Facebook virus, security analysts are cautioning users against installing any file with an ".exe" prefix even if it has come from a friend. Also, the users were told to be careful about what page the browser of user lands on. According to them, if it appears doubtful, it is better to leave the page than taking a chance.

But if a user has already installed the Facebook virus, he can remove it by following some guidelines made by Facebook or can call professionals for removing virus, and should be more careful in future as not to click on any such mail links.

Related article: Facebook Subject to Critical XSS Flaw

» SPAMfighter News - 05-09-2008

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