Koobface Spreading Among Computers through Social-networking Websites

According to Computer Troubleshooters, an international network of the largest number of outsourced IT suppliers who provide onsite PC facilities to SMBs, the Koobface virus has infected users' computers with spyware and other malware via social-networking websites MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and hi5 for theft of confidential information from the systems.

Koobface spreads from one computer to other computers very fast. Chip Reaves, Global Director of Computer Troubleshooters, stated that the worm proliferated by luring Facebook users to click on video and other web-links containing spyware/malware, as reported by All Headline News on October 20, 2009.

Reaves said that Koobface, the most recent computer virus proliferated through the dispatch of web-links to users' contacts, accompanied with a message that expressed the sender's surprise at finding the recipient in an attached video. The Director added that Koobface insidiously infected systems using various methods that utilized such creative entices, prompting users to follow the contaminated URLs.

Perpetrators of evil software utilize social networking as their latest haven for distributing malware. New malware attacks like the Koobface assault of March 2009 frequently accomplish to contaminate unwitting computers and then proceed to collect delicate details like payment card numbers from their users.

However, office networks could be protected from Koobface if users deployed anti-spyware and antivirus or a third party Twitter software, suggested Troubleshooters. Third-party software like Twhirl, Tweetie and TweetDeck could assist in preventing particular viruses from getting into PCs through Twitter.com. Researchers further recommended that users must secure their browsers as well as examine their Facebook accounts for possible alterations within the corresponding details.

Furthermore, Trend Micro, a malware research company, said that Koobface consisted of a good 26 different functional items that were configured to maliciously exploit computers and their users through various techniques.

The virus also established a link with a website utilizing the corresponding login details placed inside the already hacked cookies after which it sent messages to the infected user's contacts with a link that would download the worm when clicked. Besides, it exchanged data from a contaminated system through several servers, explained Trend.

Related article: Koobface Worm Still Active on Facebook Through Hacked Accounts

» SPAMfighter News - 11/2/2009