Cyber Criminals Use Facebook to Spread Malware

Posted on August 26, 2017 at 7:01 AM

Cyber Criminals Use Facebook to Spread Malware

Hackers are now using Facebook and other social network platforms to deceive the users into downloading different types of malware.

The criminals use advanced hacking techniques such as “clickjacking”, hacking into web browsers or stealing other types of data. Today experts are uncertain about how fast are the viruses spreading within the social networks.

Different types of malware and adware were used to trick the users, and many domains were also used to prevent the tracing of the hackers. The member of the Kaspersky cyber security team David Jacoby said that – “The code itself is quite complex and vague”.

The content of the Facebook message which appeared to the users was personalized so that they would be interested in the added link. Hackers have used personal data of the victims, like their names, different emojis and a link to a blurred video. Users clicked on the link and eventually were affected by the virus.

Then, the link redirected the users to a Google Doc landing page which looked similar to a playable video. Once the users entered the page, it would automatically redirect them to different harmful websites. David Jacoby says that such technique is actually quite often used by hackers.

In other words, this scheme may be described as a system of domains, which uses different peculiarities and characteristics to redirect users to different websites. These peculiarities may vary; they may be the language of the user, his geographical location, cookies, installed plugins, his browser data or the type of operating system.

By the tracked cookies, your browser is moved through a set of different websites. The activity of the user is monitored and certain ads are shown to you. They are followed by specific content which persuades you to click on the links.

People are aware that clicking unknown links is not safe, but the messages contained in the ads are too appealing, and basically, the users are forced to click the link.

It’s exciting that hackers used different methods of fraud for different browsers. For Google Chrome it would look like a fake YouTube video. On Mozilla Firefox and Safari the malware would look like a fake Flash update.

Jacoby states that such hacking methods are not that popular today, and it’s unusual that cyber criminals use Google Docs and Facebook.

These viruses actually contain no Trojans or other types of viruses, but the hackers make a lot of money on advertising. But, most importantly they may gain access to your Facebook account, so it is advised not to click the unknown links.

Summary
Cyber Criminals Use Facebook to Spread Malware
Article Name
Cyber Criminals Use Facebook to Spread Malware
Description
Hackers are now using Facebook and other social network platforms to deceive the users into downloading different types of malware.
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Koddos
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