Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
This message came from our Information Assurance Officer this morning.
Thought I'd share with the list.
JUDY K. TYLER, CRM
Records Management Officer
Information Management Division
Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center
Fort Hood, TX 76544
(254) 288-8009
DSN 738-8009
-----Original Message-----
Be wary:
Facebook Users Warned of Social-Networking Virus
Internet users are being warned to watch out for a computer virus targeting
popular social networking sites in the run up to Christmas.
Sky News has been told that Facebook users are most at risk from a variant
of the Koobface virus, which has been disguised as a festive greetings video
hosted on a YouTube site. Security experts say the new virus is
"particularly nasty" and compels its victims to participate manually in
creating a new Facebook account to help spread the worm.
In previous years, variations of this virus have caused chaos across the Web
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462784,00.html?sPage=fnc/scitech/cybers
ecurity> .
But Internet security experts believe the new worm is likely to prove
particularly effective in fooling users, because of the growing number of
people who now opt to send out electronic greetings cards.
The attacks work by posting malicious links on Facebook wall pages, inviting
users to click on the Christmas card videos. However, any attempt to play
the video turns over control of the PC to the attackers.
The victim then sees a warning message, requiring them to solve a Captcha
(Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers And Humans Apart)
puzzle within three minutes. A timer ticks down and if the puzzle goes
unsolved after the allotted time, the PC freezes up.
Experts warn that rebooting the computer will not help and the only way to
end the loop is to solve the Captcha puzzle. The victim would then be able
to use their PC as normal, but the attacker would still have control.
While those targeted grapple with the unfolding problem, the worm separately
uses the victim's computer to fill out a new account application, unseen by
them. The new account is then used to post more Christmas video worms in a
continuing cycle.
Internet security company Panda Security <http://www.pandasecurity.com/>
has been tracking the latest variant of the Koobface worm from its labs in
Spain.
"There is no doubting that this latest Koobface attack represents a serious
threat to social networkers," the company's UK managing director Peter
Lautin told Sky News.
"If someone runs the infected file on their Facebook or MySpace page, the
worm will automatically log in to their account and several other social
networking sites, sending malicious messages to all their friends.
"The more people who use an application such as Facebook, or any other means
of social networking, the more likely they are to be targeted by bad guys to
send out malicious threats such as Koobface."
The company recommends that users do not reply to or follow links included
in unsolicited Facebook messages and users should always carefully check
that the URL they are entering is really that of the site they want to
access.
-
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/12/16/facebook-users-warned-new-social-n
etworking-virus/
IMD
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]
|
