New Spam Campaign Hits Facebook Users

According to the security firm, PandaLabs, a new spam campaign has gripped the most famous social networking website Facebook to compromise computers of its users with malware.

The new spam campaign involves sending of an e-mail describing the necessary changes in the website policy that requires all its users to submit a new account agreement prior of a certain date. The negligence of e-mail instructions will devoid users from accessing their Facebook accounts.

The e-mail text then asks users to unzip and open the attached file that contains details about the process one should follow for the submission of new account agreement.

Pandalabs further tells the users that if they open the file, a rogue antivirus known as 'SecurityTool' will be installed on their machines.

This fake antivirus software gives reports of bogus security threats on the infected machine and shows false security alerts to deceive users into believing that their systems have been corrupted by different malware.

After installation, SecurityTool will set itself in such a way that it starts automatically with the logon of users into Windows. Thereafter, the rogue software deceives users by showing a false scan of the system and displays different types of infections that could only be removed if users purchased complete version of the software. However, when the detected files are scanned by a legitimate software, those are either legitimate or harmless files and can not lead to any damage to the infected machine.

PandLabs has reported that it has already got 16,000 e-mails which indicate to the gravity of the scam, but it is just the tip of iceberg, as reported by Help Net Security on February 16, 2010.

The security firm has also added that these types of threatening message are quite popular on Hotmail or MSN Messenger accounts. Another reason for attacking Facebook time and again is that the website has become famous and is undergoing changes and updates that help to trick users easily. Facebook has already achieved 350 Million users and the number of subscribers along with database has been continuously growing with the passage of each day.

Finally, PandaLabs states that users should not trust such messages. It has also reminded users that in case Facebook team wishes to make any changes, it will be shown in the Facebook account of users.

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 2/23/2010