Topic: Facebook still battling Koobface virus

[Samker]

Members of Facebook should be wary of a virus that continues to make the rounds on popular social networking sites.

The virus, known as Koobface, was first detected in July 2008 and became prominent in December. A Facebook spokesman said Tuesday the virus hasn't been eradicated yet, although a small percentage of users have been infected. The virus found its way onto some Chicago Tribune staffers' computers Monday and Tuesday.

The Koobface virus takes over a Facebook account and sends messages to friends. Facebook's automated system generally identifies the messages as spam and deletes them before their recipients see them in their inboxes. However, recipients do get e-mail notifications of these messages, which may say "check out this video of you" or "you should be an actor" and often includes typos.

A link in the message directs the recipient to a site resembling YouTube, and that site asks the user to download a fake Adobe Flash update in order to view the video. The Koobface virus is inside the download. A link in the message may also lead to a fake Facebook site. Koobface also targets MySpace members.

Among other tips, Facebook advises its members to be suspicious of strange messages containing links, especially if those messages don't sound like they could have been written by the sender.

The site also urges caution when clicking on URLs or viewing content that requires a download. In addition, Facebook says its users should use unique logins and passwords, as hackers will often take that personal information and try to use it on all major sites.

Facebook members with additional concerns can e-mail privacy@facebook.com or abuse@facebook.com.
wawong@tribune.com

(tmcnet)