From long time the popularity of Facebook is being used by cyber criminals to spread viruses on the Internet through links that direct users to malicious pages, invitations to events or videos that contain malicious code.
This week there is new virus circulating on the internet that invites people for event called “eleventodelsiglo” which is forwarded from the account of a friend who has been infected. The message says: “I know you will like the idea of living a trip to the past I mention you. Enter google and search the text: “eleventodelsiglo“. The first result is to sign up. When the user performs the search and enter the page, the profile get infected with a malware distributing the spam automatically to all contacts with the same message without user permission.
According to a report by security firm ESET internet, Facebook is vulnerable to spam, since users tend to trust the messages they see on the walls of their friends and not afraid to click on them. The company said that due to this, spreading malicious content to users has become a multimillion dollar business for cyber criminals, and spreading virus is not difficult for them. Above all, because antivirus software can only protects from downloading malware, but can not protect online content like facebook account, so if you click on a spam message, the person may infect your computer and your friends.
Facebook virus usually spreads through the spam message, which ask user to install an application that requires false access to their information, which has malicious code hidden as a video codec or a message. By confirming these actions users can infect their computers with malware, which is beyond trace with any antivirus software. ESET said the message usually invite facebook user to watch the “shocking video”, which is usually false, the company said.
