Rogue Facebook apps launch 'beach babes' attack

[Starbuck]

Second weekend in a row Facebook users have had to fend off major malware attacks.

 

Another attack using rogue Facebook applications hit users' PCs Saturday in a virtual repeat of last weekend's massive assault, security researchers said.

 

Like the earlier attack, today's scam uses a sex-oriented video as bait, said Patrik Runald, a Australian researcher who works for Websense Security.

 

The scam is spread through Facebook messages touting "Distracting Beach Babes" videos that include a link to the malicious applications, Runald wrote on his company's blog early Saturday. Users who click on the link are asked to allow the application to access their profiles, and let it send messages to friends and post it on their walls. Once approved, the application instructs users to download an updated version of FLV Player, a popular free Windows media player, to view the video.

 

This new attack is almost identical to the one that generated several hundred thousand malicious software reports to antivirus vendor AVG Technologies a week ago.

 

Source:

Rogue Facebook apps launch 'beach babes' attack

[Jelly Bean]

Yup many have caught this one.It not only affected FaceBook and computers but apparently people email adresses etc.

[Starbuck]

To be honest, i think 'Facebook' is getting out of control now but they would never admit it.

Even with these recent attacks, they haven't even mentioned them on their security page:

 

Facebook Security | Facebook

 

But 'Websense' has identified at least 100 different malicious applications used in the two weekend attacks.

Using Facebook is like becoming a game of Russian Roulette now.

Because some people using it are willing to click on anything that stays still long enough.... it's a malware guys paradise.

[Goku]

I have seen a lot of those applications now. And the worst part is that we can't disallow them posting privileges and still use the application. And when you do give it the privileges, the application automatically posts them on your friends walls.

 

I have been lucky to have few friends on Facebook and thus I removed the posts before it could affect anyone but not everyone is as lucky. High time Facebook set some guidelines for applications.

 

-- Goku