In one of our most recent class assignments every student was assigned a particular social network to explore. It was very interesting to learn about the dozens of social networks we may not be familiar with. After discussing these networks, I thought it would be interesting to check several news affiliated websites to find if there were recent articles concerning social networks. I was able to find this very interesting article concerning one of the most popular social networking sites, Facebook. The article discussed the most current virus related issues Facebook has been exposed to.
Nearly 120 million Facebook users have been targeted by the Koobface virus that uses the messaging system of social networks to infect PCs and gather sensitive information. The virus was developed by hackers to impact the largest number of internet users and what better to achieve that than using social networks. We have learned that social networks are rising in popularity and are some of the most common websites visited. Also, Facebook users receive multiple messages per day and many, including myself, do not take the time to read the sender of every message. It is imperative for college students, the most common users of Facebook, to be cautious of any messages they receive.
The messages are generally encoded with an alluring subject line and ask the user if they would like to update their flash player. Once the individual’s PCs becomes infected they are then taken to contaminated sites when they attempt to use Google, Yahoo and MSN. Facebook has attempted to protect their integrity by requiring that only users with accounts can post messages and they have posted a link to instruct users on how to clean their infected computer. However, this is not the first attack against social networks by hackers. Myspace was infected in August with the same virus but it was later eradicated. McAfee, a leader in security management has not yet identified the perpetrators, but they are looking into the problem. Some users have complained that their computers have actually been destroyed by this virus.
I think cases similar to this will begin to appear more often with the popularity and extensive use of social networks. Also, we have learned that many individuals are becoming addicted to social networks and will continue to use these websites in excess. Apart from addiction, social networks are also being used for professional purposes potentially compromising sensitive business information. The more individuals use social networks the more likely they will be targeted by vicious viruses such as the Koobface.
Nearly 120 million Facebook users have been targeted by the Koobface virus that uses the messaging system of social networks to infect PCs and gather sensitive information. The virus was developed by hackers to impact the largest number of internet users and what better to achieve that than using social networks. We have learned that social networks are rising in popularity and are some of the most common websites visited. Also, Facebook users receive multiple messages per day and many, including myself, do not take the time to read the sender of every message. It is imperative for college students, the most common users of Facebook, to be cautious of any messages they receive.
The messages are generally encoded with an alluring subject line and ask the user if they would like to update their flash player. Once the individual’s PCs becomes infected they are then taken to contaminated sites when they attempt to use Google, Yahoo and MSN. Facebook has attempted to protect their integrity by requiring that only users with accounts can post messages and they have posted a link to instruct users on how to clean their infected computer. However, this is not the first attack against social networks by hackers. Myspace was infected in August with the same virus but it was later eradicated. McAfee, a leader in security management has not yet identified the perpetrators, but they are looking into the problem. Some users have complained that their computers have actually been destroyed by this virus.
I think cases similar to this will begin to appear more often with the popularity and extensive use of social networks. Also, we have learned that many individuals are becoming addicted to social networks and will continue to use these websites in excess. Apart from addiction, social networks are also being used for professional purposes potentially compromising sensitive business information. The more individuals use social networks the more likely they will be targeted by vicious viruses such as the Koobface.
2 comments:
I was actually considering writing about this but couldn't think up 400 words on the subject so kudos. I believe that the more people are aware of this subject the less of an impact it will have. Since people know about this virus, they may now take the time to reply to the sender asking what the video is or, at least, who they are. But like you said this problem will not go away. Facebook will get rid of this virus just for a new one to come along. Just take the time to consider whether or not this random link from a random person may not be legit.
This is really scary. Maybe I am just naïve , but it's hard for me to believe that this can actually happen. I do all of my banking and credit card stuff online, and it's hard to think that there is someone out there that can get my personal information. But, in the hackers defense, Facebook is a good way to get the job done considering the millions of people that use it.
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