Scammers Hacked FCC Chairman Facebook Account

Users, who aren't adept how to use the social networking website Facebook, can be in danger. The site, which holds a vast amount of users' private information, can easily go under spammers' control following even a small mistake like in the case FCC Chairman.

On December 31, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Mr. Julius Genachowski sent a queer message at around 10:30 am to his Facebook pals. It stated that Mr. Adam got Genachowski begin churning money using the site. Below the message a web-link appeared that led to a page, which is currently offline. The critical part of the message revealed that some malware had snatched control over Mr. Genachowski's account and was pushing spam through it.

Although Facebook hasn't disclosed how Genachowski's account got hijacked, the event does indicate how immensely dangerous it is to use such websites.

Moreover, Genachowski's account has been deactivated and just like all Facebook users, he too has to learn the proper and safe techniques of using the Internet.

In connection with the incident, Facebook issued a statement saying that it regarded security most serious problem and it had invested considerable resources to assist its members safeguard users accounts. The site had also built complicated systems that automatically identified and labeled vulnerable Facebook accounts. Moreover, since Facebook was a closed structure, it was competitively better than e-mail. This implied that if a fake e-mail was detected, the site could delete it from all its users' inboxes, the statement explained.

Continuing further, Facebook stated that it also prevented the sharing of malicious web-links. With the help of third-parties, it even got malware and phishing websites added into blacklists or shut them down completely. Further, it remedied users' compromised accounts and mandate for the affected users to secure their accounts again. It also asked the members to adopt the optimum security practices.

It also added that users' help was required to fight against the threats. Thus, users shouldn't follow unknown web-links, even if friends had sent them. They should be vigilant of websites, which asked to upgrade or download software.

Related article: Scammers Exploit Tax System Resulting in ID Theft

» SPAMfighter News - 1/8/2010