08 Sep 2009
Fear of "Facebook Fan Check Virus" drives users to scareware
IT security and
data protection firm Sophos has issued a warning about
uncontrolled rumours of a new threat called the "Facebook Fan Check
Virus" that are spreading across the internet.
Scare stories of a new rogue Facebook application called "Fan
Check" are driving computer users to search the net for more
information, and sending them to websites hosting malicious
code.
Although no evidence has yet been forthcoming that the
Facebook's third-party Fan Check application is malicious, rumours
of it being a virus are widespread across Twitter, blogs and
message boards.
Facebook fans who use search engines for confirmation are being
directed to websites infected with fake anti-virus software that puts their PCs
and laptops in danger and risk having their personal financial
details stolen.
"A word to the wise - be careful what you search for when
scouring the net for information. It is the fear of the application
that is leading internet users into danger. As online rumours
spread and continue to scare innocent Facebook users, thousands of
people are turning to the internet for more information - leading
them straight into the honey trap set up by cybercriminals,"
explained Graham
Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Once directed
to a malicious website, bogus anti-virus software is planted onto
your system and is designed to defraud you and take over your
computer."
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing complete security solutions that are simple to deploy, manage, and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, mobile and network security solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.