Beware: MySpace & Facebook Virus
I felt I should let everyone know about these virii, which are penetrating MySpace and Facebook users. MyBroadBand picked up on the article and wrote a great explanation:
Security specialist Kaspersky Lab says it has detected two cyber attacks targeting the users of MySpace and Facebook. The worms transform victim machines into zombie computers to form botnets.
Although the worms are only infecting MySpace and Facebook users, Kaspersky Lab warns that they could spread.
Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.a spreads when a user accesses their MySpace account. The worm creates a range of commentaries to friends’ accounts.
Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.b, which targets Facebook users, creates spam messages and sends them to the infected users’ friends via the Facebook site. The messages and comments include texts such as Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf On The Street; Examiners Caught Downloading Grades From The Internet; Hello; You must see it!!! LOL. My friend catched you on hidden cam; Is it really celebrity? Funny Moments and many others.
Messages and comments on MySpace and Facebook include links to YouTube.pl but when clicked redirect to a YouTube.ru site. The site then encourages users to upgrade their Flash player. Instead of Flash, however, the site installs a file called codesetup.exe.
“Unfortunately, users are very trusting of messages left by ‘friends’ on social networking sites. So the likelihood of a user clicking on a link like this is very high”, says Alexander Gostev, senior virus analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
[via: MyBroadBand]
Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM
Chris M has written: 4127 posts.
Aug 4th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
This wouldn’t be a problem were most people Mac owners :)
Aug 5th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Hehe, that’s very true, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until macs get targeted, surely? My understanding of macs is fairly limited, but I know their kernal is linux strong, but I’m sure some idiots will start the targetting?
Aug 5th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Do you know why Mac users don’t get targeted for viruses?
Because a botnet of 3000 computers is pretty darn useless.
I know one anti-spam company (forget their name now) wrote some software to target spammers’ servers for DDOS attacks.
They had about 250 000 customers install their software.
So, some Russian spammers said, “O RLY? I see your 250K and I raise you 10 000 000 and they basically wiped the anti-spam company off the face of teh internetz.”
So they had to stop. Oh the Lulz.
Aug 5th, 2008 at 11:58 am
ROFL, that’s a good point actually, but then again, Mac sales are rocking! It scares me to imagine how much money these spam houses are making! :/
Aug 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Good old Kaspersky – cannot go wrong there. Luckily my Facebook is gethering dust. How long before virusses will target Linux OS with a vengance? Nothing is safe these days.
Aug 5th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Hehe, Kaspersky is great isn’t it, but I have had the occasional virus fly through the system without being noticed, this is where NOD32 helps out.
I’m not technical enough to know much about virii targetting Linux, but from what I have heard, it’s not nearly as penetrable as Windows.
Aug 5th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
From I read it is true that Linux is “still” fairly safe from Virus attacks. As you now me, my computer knowledge stop at the on/off button. Used Symantec for a few years, but they are to greedy when it comes to using memory. Nothng is 100%. No knowledge of NOD32. I think Vista will be my last Windows. Ubuntu is the future for me.
Aug 5th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Well, let’s hope that someone really knowledgable comes along and gives us some accurate information :)
Aug 5th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
This article almost creates the impression that the Facebook / Myspace messages themselves can infect you with virii… this turns out to be a false impression.
It seems that actually the messages are posted to your friends from your infected computer, but the infection takes place when you click on a link in an email from your friend’s virus-infected computer. This assumes that you’re trusting enough to open any link from your friends, despite the fact that the message subjects look like the contents of your typical Spam folder. Yay for gullible people!
Oh, and the only antivirus programs that insist on running solo are also in the steaming-mound-of-crap pile: Norton and McAffee. From my internet cafe experience, I can recommend running the free version of AVG or Antivir with a paid option like NOD32 or Kaspersky. (One of the nice thing about Kaspersky is that a desktop license for ~R200 includes a licence to run Kaspersky on your Windows or Symbian UIQ smartphone.)
People need to be less trusting of their friends’ computer skills… it’s like sleeping around really: you don’t know that everyone you sleep with are completely clean and always use protection against infections… and accepting a packet of memes mean that you might just get a nasty virus infection.
Oh yes… there have been Mac OS X virii, but they’re few and far between. Linux has even fewer problems here, as the incredibly large community means that security holes are generally found and patched within hours or days, and not just when a large evil corporation is good and ready to release a security patch.
Aug 5th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Ah wicked Arno, thanks so much for popping in and shedding a little light on the Linux and Mac OS situation :)
Aug 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
All i can do is LOL! all these viruses and stuff, to me its giberish really, but to an extent it is a problem! I got a virus once from clicking on a link from a friend, and i haven’t done it since, so if people stop clicking on links, there wouldn’t be these problems! anyway felt like giving my 5cents worth :)
Aug 7th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I got an email from my cousin that said “You on Hidden Cam LOL and stupidly I clicked the Link and it sent me to this page in some language I didnt understand I have a mac am I still infected?
Aug 8th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Eish, I would run a virus and adware scan if I was you..
Aug 11th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Andrew,
You’re on a mac buddy. Sit back and relax and watch the world burn. Unless you’ve installed windows on that machine, you’re sitting behind a pretty big wall (not a perfect wall, but a pretty darn big one). If you HAVE installed windows on your mac, well, you get what’s comin’ for ya :)
Aug 12th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Hehe, it certainly appears that Mac is the way to go, I’m rather upset that I bought a new HP notebook :/
Aug 12th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Chris: Linux runs on anything, why complain about not having an overpriced white laptop?
Aug 12th, 2008 at 10:13 am
@Chris: I agree with Arno. A Mac is what? It used to be based on a Motorola RISC CPU which ran faster than Intel chips.
Now the hardware is Intel based and the Mac OS is Linux based.
OSX is Linux with a Mac skin.
You can now hack a Mac and make it run Windows if you want to.
People pay more for Mac because of its brand and because of its Mac skinned Linux OS.
Do you remember when people used to pay a premium for “brand name” PCs such as IBM, Compaq, Dell, HP etc.?
Sorry, I just do not see any percentage in paying a premium for a brand name PC when 18 months later I am going to junk it in favour of the latest technology.
In fact PC hardware is becoming so darn cheap, that I think IT workers such as ourselves are going to start replacing PCs every 12 months soon.
I’m considering making the jump to 64 bit architecture though.
Aug 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Richard:
You’re partly correct and partly incorrect. Apple does use PC architecture, and their build quality used to be a lot higher than the competition, but these days a high-end Dell or HP can compete on that level too.
There is a misconception that Mac OS X is Linux-based. This is patently untrue, as I will explain:
Linux is a Free (as in Speech, not Free as in Beer) version of the commercial Unix operating systems. Linux is published under the Gnu Public License, or GPL. This license allows you access to the source code under the condition that you share back your improvements with the community.
Mac OS X is derived from a different Unix clone called BSD Unix. This clone is published under the BSD license, which allows you access to the source code with very few restrictions, so you do not need to share anything back to the community. This allows for all kinds of exploitation by evil corporations:
- Microsoft used the BSD Unix TCP/IP stack to provide TCP/IP connectivity in Windows for the better part of the decade. Microsoft is actually the biggest user of open source software in the world, if you count that :-)
- Nashua and other printer companies use BSD for the embedded OS on those big multifunction machines.
- Apple used BSD to make this awesome OS and get away with not actually sharing the code with the community on whose work they based this whole thing.
- I could go on all day…
Mac OS X is, therefore, definitely not a “Mac skinned Linux OS”.
On the hardware replacement side: there are already companies making their living out of leasing PCs to other companies and just replacing with upgrades every 6 months or something.
Lastly, on 64-bit: don’t bother, unless you’re going to run Linux. Windows (even 64-bit) does not really take advantage of this processor’s capabilities. I’d even hesitate to use it for a Linux desktop, unless you’re going to be doing video editing or something that requires heavy number crunching.
Hope this helps :-)
PS. Chris, which HP did you get?
Aug 12th, 2008 at 10:55 am
@Arno: Thanks, I found your comment interesting and informative.
I was being ever so slightly facetious when I called OSX a “Mac skinned Linux OS”.
But on the other hand, maybe it’s still on the cards for some open source junkies to clone Mac’s interface on Linux? Apple will be livid, but there will be ZERO they can do about it, except seethe.
I would upgrade every 6 months, IF there was an appreciable difference. I’m not sure the development cycles are that short.
I want to get a 64 bit PC as a second PC, and yes, I plan to run Linux.
Aug 12th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
@Richard: Sorry that I sounded a bit pedantic. It drives me a bit batty when some Mac fanboy, usually a web designer (of which I meet many in my line of work), say how it’s just like Linux, etc etc. I shall never tell where I hid the bodies…
On the interface issue: the big problem here is that the UI is where Apple did a lot of interesting and original work (read: they spent a crapload of money on it). Apple’s HIG (Human Interface Guidelines) are well thought through and are strictly enforced. The reason the OS X desktop feels so polished is that all OS X programs must adhere to the HIG. Apple can therefore almost enforce a uniform look and feel for the desktop.
That is both a strength and a weakness. What happens if I want to do things differently than the One Way (TM) which Apple tells me is best for me? It’s a hell of a schlep to change anything substantial about the UI.
I’ll be totally frank and tell you that I’m a bit of a desktop environment whore… I alternate between Gnome, KDE, wmii, Enlightenment, XFCE, and always looking for cool design elements. I find Mac OS X’s Aqua sort of okay, but not something I’d want to do on an empty stomach, and especially not while having to quickly sort out a technical issue that a colleague or friend is having on their Macbook. Try explaining to a non-technical designer what a command line is…
A.