Yesterday I received an e-mail alerting me that my Facebook friend Nigel Kennedy had sent me a message titled “Check out your own face in this new video. YAYYYYY” I ignored it – which turns out to have been a smart move.

Now, while Mr. Kennedy was certainly known as a prankster when I first met him as a schoolboy, he’s now a married man in his early 30s who is unlikely to send such a message. It turns out he was the innocent victim of what’s been dubbed the Koobface virus (reverse the first syllable to get the ‘joke’).

Those who did click on the link were sent to what appears to be a video clip. However, anyone attempting to play it was told they needed an update to their Flash player and given a link to download that update.

Clicking on this link instead installed malicious software. Fortunately at the moment it appears the software doesn’t damage a computer. Instead, when victims use a search engine, they are redirected to a Web site run by the offenders (who then collect cash from advertisers on the site).

It’s another reminder that a messaging system, particularly one so openly based on the chains between contacts, is vulnerable to the same problems as traditional emails. Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago, a Canadian man received the biggest fine ever awarded under US Federal spam laws after targeting Facebook users.

With that in mind, it’s worth remembering to be just as cautious with social networking sites as e-mail programs. Don’t open a message you aren’t sure about (check with the ‘sender’ first), don’t follow links unless they are from a source you trust, be wary about attachments you weren’t expecting to receive, and if you need software, download it from the manufacturer’s own Web site.

Related:

Entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 1:50 pm under Malware, Security, Social Media.

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