Fake Messages Rigged With Malware Are Spreading Via Facebook Messenger (bleepingcomputer.com) 44
According to recent warnings issued by Avira, CSIS Security Group, and Kaspersky Lab, a virulent spam campaign has hit Facebook Messenger during the past few days. "The Facebook spam messages contain a link to what appears to be a video," reports Bleeping Computer. "The messages arrive from one of the user's friends, suggesting that person's account was also compromised." From the report: The format of the spam message is the user's first name, the word video, and a bit.ly or t.cn short-link. Users that click on the links are redirected to different pages based on their geographical location and the type of browser and operating system they use. It's been reported that Firefox users on Windows and Mac are being redirected to a page offering a fake Flash Player installer. Kaspersky says this file installs adware on users' PCs. On Chrome, the spam campaign redirects users to a fake YouTube page pushing a malicious extension. It is believed that crooks use this Chrome extension to push adware and collect credentials for new Facebook accounts, which they later use to push the spam messages to new users.
Just say no to FaceBook. (Score:2)
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"I was only pretending to be retarded" - AC
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Deja vu (Score:2)
Fake messages from bad hombres discovered by Russians? Where have I heard that before?
browser discrimination (Score:3)
So Firefox users on Windows and Mac get something, so do those on Chrome... but, what can I get on eLinks on arm64 Linux?
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Water is wet, sun is bright, Pope is Catholic (Score:2, Interesting)
Users that click on the links being the key phrase here.
Guns are always loaded, shortened URLS always lead to malware. Especially when they don't. If you post a shortened URL, you should be permanently banned and flagged as a spammer. If you click on a shortened URL, you are a fucking idiot. There is no legitimate reason to use shortened URL services. No exceptions. Your one edge case is objectively wrong and it makes you a shill for malware venders.
People being idiots is not news. Death to bit.ly and all U
Right from the link (Score:2)
a bit.ly or t.cn short-link
is the starting sign to be cautious. Without know the actual web link, it is very likely for it to redirect right into a virus / zero-day exploit. All it takes is a single click.
If the user really needed the content from the link, they should use a VM or something. Otherwise, they should expect their pc to be trashed with malware upon clicking.
You can tell browser not to follow redirection (Score:2)
For those people who need to click on the link, for whatever reason (e.g. it's on an email from a potential employer), there's still a way to know where it leads, right? You can tell Firefox (or whatever browsers) not to follow "redirect" instructions until it asks you. Or am I missing something here?
Why do people still fall for this shit?! (Score:2)
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"Because... The picture or video looks different every time... and that's confusing and misleading! It's not fair that I can't see that picture or video because I wanted to see it so badly. Now I really want to see it but the ads won't get out of the way!"
Note quotes. Face-Desk.
Fake? (Score:1)
Wait, so if they are fake messages then they aren't actually messages so this is a purely theoretical issue, right? I know that "Fake" is the latest buzzword for anything that you think is a bad thing, but these are real messages. They are just spam, and we've had those for decades. Likewise they aren't "Rigged with Malware", they link to a page that contains malware for people to download.
The clickbait-style titles manufactured by editors aren't doing the site any favours as they are just lowering the (alr
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The messages are real. The sources are fake.
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The messages are real. The sources are fake.
You're dead-on. Unfortunately, in 21st-century English lingo, you have to insert the word "like" in it somewhere, and pretty much follow the path of logic from top to bottom, refining the sentence with each iterate cycle until the end sentence is, "Everything is, like, SO FAKE!"
I believe that is the correct vernacular. At least under the age of 29, and under the IQ of 100. Numbers are variable. Mileage may vary. [insert legal lingo here]
Yep. That's 21st century. Or wait, am I supposed to be silent?
In other news... (Score:2)
... fake news articles rigged with believable but totally wrong information are spreading via justabouteverythingontheinternet.
Go a head... (Score:1)
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Keep using Facebook you dopes!
How were people distracted from Facebook to here, anyway? Wait, they weren't!
*snort* Sorry, I had to.