Facebook infected with Koobface virus
Attention new viewers: those 5000 “friends” you have on Facebook? They might not actually be your friends. In fact, some of them might be scammers trying to infect your computer with a new virus dubbed “Koobface”. Koobface, which already made the rounds on MySpace, is now worming its way through Facebook. The Koobface virus uses Facebook’s private messaging system to infect computers via a shared video. Unsuspecting users will see a video link (shared by an infected friend) with the message, “You look just awesome in this new movie.” Click the link will lead you to an outside site where you’re told that you need to download a Flash update, which is actually a virus file. Once the virus is installed, it will try to grab sensitive data off your PC, like credit card numbers.
In a way this a very old virus; it operates much like mass-mailing worms that used to infest Usenet and e-mail lists. But it’s proving an effective tactic on social networks where private messages from friends seem more trustworthy than traditional e-mail, which even the most neophyte web users have come to distrust. With its some 120 million users, Facebook is not only a potentially lucrative target, but it’s well into the mainstream, which means more gullible, less internet-savvy users for virus creators to prey on. The virus watchdog blog for McAfee labs reports that Facebook is aware of the Koobface attack and is already working to remove the spammed links from its system. But with dozens of Koobface variants known to exist, McAfee warns that “the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.” Should your PC be infected the Koobface worm, the Facebook security blog suggests resetting your password and running updated anti-virus software to purge the worm from your system.
Source: Wired
Comments(23)
I am lucky that i dont support facebook.
I almost feel sorry for those are idiots enough to get infected by this.
A friend of mine got infected by a relatively new MSN-virus wich asked me to go to a link called “nokia-shop.org”. Couldn’t find anything about the virus on Google but it’s registered to someone in Russia. Luckily I’ve warned her now and noone should be infected by her anymore
yeah, i agree, you have to be dumb to get infected. same thing on msn, messages like is this you in this photo
yeah its me, who else could be 
At this point, anyone who falls for a phishing attack deserves it.
ok, your dumb if you get caught by this, but to the first commenter, at my university at least, every normal person uses facebook. go back to your world of warcraft/second life forum
Anyone who installs anything in response to a website request to do so is a certified idiot.
as dumb as our government…
@7
Wich government? There are several governments in the wide world. I think both Sweden and France has got a stupid government and I don’t know wich of those countries you are from.
Please specify not to make yourself look like an idiot.
Old news…
http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3233.aspx
Facebook = Failbook
facebook is for morons.
i wounder how’s Zuckerberg doing???? OM*G…OM*G, anything but my face….book.
Facebook turned me off with that beacon crap. Still it really takes a real moron to get infected by some of that crap.
facebook is for stupid college kids to share pictures of themselves holding beers at parties. oooh so cool you drink beer!! no way!! 1diots.
ha ha. koobface.
facebook = dungface.
just to say i’ve recently noticed this site is also infected with dodgy advertising that tries to redirect you browser & can slow down or even freeze your pc….why wont the owners of this site do anything about it?
wuz up
noobface
half of the people that have commented on this are probably infected with the koobface virus.
Wait a mo…..where is all the cheers and the comments on how great this person is who infected this site and how he should run for president of the world or some BS like that? Or the crap that usually comes from script kiddies when someone is accused of hacking a site or locking a city site up so innocent people get hurt because of not being able to get a paycheck.
Not so damn funny now or so great when the shoe is on the other foot and it is possible that friends or family members could be harmed by this dweebs virus now is it?
hypocrits
i don’t understand how someone can have 5000 friends. do they just add random people only for the number? how many of the 5000 do they actually know? sheesh.
@19
speak for your self buddy. you could be half of those people.
Zuckerberg is a billionaire. Youngest one in America, at that. He’s doing awesome. Lucky bastard