FACEBOOK - trojan horse alert

[Guildford Ghost]

Hi all.

This is not an urban myth but a very genuine warning about a trojan horse circulating on FACEBOOK which has hacked the accounts of three of my friends this evening and screwed up their PCs.

1) Do NOT accept any friend request from some weird account not using a human name and not using a proper photo.

2) Do NOT click on any e-mail claiming to be from a friend on Facebook with a video link that claims to contain you 'showing your ass' or anything else!

3) Do NOT click on any status from a friend that shows a supposed video link saying it's their 'new video'.

These are trojan horses and although the links are genuinely coming from your friends' accounts, they have been hacked and their hard drives damaged.

If you have clicked on one of these, it might be too late unless you've got really good AV and firewall software.

Be careful, people!

[runnerbean]

Ta GG. Are you finding the forum very slow in loading tonight?

[Guildford Ghost]

It is a bit slow but if you're linked to Stephen on Facebook you'll see it's because of the Twitter updates and he and Duke are considering taking them off.

[Stephen]

GG, this sounds like a chain letter!

I removed the twitter updates from the top of the forum because they were causing the whole forum to stall when pages were loading.
They are still available from the main website.

[Guildford Ghost]

Hi Stephen - which bit do you mean by 'chain letter'? Are you always coming across posts about Twitter? Did my initial warning SOUND like chain letters sound? Or do you mean the virus itself sounds like a chain letter? Serious question; I don't get what you're saying.

The virus itself really did affect quite a few people I know with a trojan horse when they clicked on this supposed 'video' link - at the same time they lost control of their Facebook accounts and had their status changed to another link to click on which will download the virus to anyone who clicks it. About half a dozen of my contacts had it yesterday, all linked to Jack the Ripper research, however.

[Stephen]

I just meant it sounded like a "OMG!! Don't accept [xxxxx] as a friend. It's a virus! Now send this to 20 people from your friends list!" kinda mail. I know it wasn't though! :)

For a Trojan virus to run, the user must download and run the infected code on the computer. Simply adding people and viewing a video will not infect your PC. I think messages like the one you posted might create an unnecessary panic.

I suspect that the link will go to a video and ask you to download a "codec.exe" or something like that. That exe will have the virus, nothing to do with Facebook at all. It's just another medium in which attract a user to download the virus.
Likewise, accepting a friend, viewing photos/videos will not spread a virus.

Use common sense online. If a website asks you to download and run software, don't. Ask somebody who knows their stuff before doing anything.

I used to work for Symantec - I tested live viruses and posted virus defs out thousands of companies all over the world - while the disguises are constantly changing, the principle is the same: In most cases: you need to execute code on the computer before any harm is done.

Internet: Always click no. :)

E.g. In real life if somebody asks you to pour an unnamed liquid into your car's petrol tank - would you? No! Same online, tell them to feck off, unless told otherwise. (By a mechanic!)

[bubble]

I can like totally hear u sayin the OMG bit out loud &stuff!

Em...stephen...how wonderfully kind &caring r u when it comes 2givin out free advice on said viruses? My pc is fecked at the min &has been for almost a wk. Apart from liftin the thing &throwin it out the window any ideas? I wasn't, cough, organised enough 2back it up, cough! :redface:

[Guildford Ghost]

Hi Stephen.

It's an Active X control that downloads itself when you click on the link for the video. If the video ever plays or not, I don't know. The nub of the matter is that if someone isn't savvy enough to know not to click on the link, they're also not going to be savvy enough to know not to accept the Active X control - as was proven on Saturday. Your advice is absolutely right but I fear you sadly overestimate other people's cautiousness!

So - clarification for anyone who might get involved in this; Facebook is not hacked and infected. There is a virus going around that is using Facebook to fool people into picking it up. If they pick it up, the virus is taking over their account and infecting their computers with tons of malicious software (I believe a keylogger is involved as well, so you need to get it out and change your passwords afterwards ASAP if it happens to you). If you've read and followed the warnings above, you will be fine. It can't happen to you if you're on your guard.

[jan]

So sadly this is all a bit late:(
Daughter clicked on something she shouldn't have on Facebook.....knackered her laptop which is now with our computer doctor Bruce.....bless you Bruce:)
Just waiting for her to knacker this one too!!
Anyone want a lodger?
However this one is protected by most of the security known to mankind whilst her laptop wasn't (she let her security lapse).
Be warned children!!
xx