New virus looks like Facebook updates

Stephanie Norwood, Staff Writer
Published On: 06/22/2009

The virus is very difficult to detect at first glance because the e-mail looks exactly like one coming from Facebook or other social networking websites.

“Typically what happens, is there is an email message that looks like their friend or a friend request coming from Facebook. If a student clicks on the link, it will install malicious software to their computer,” Office of Technology and Information Systems David Beeching said.

The virus also posts on friends’ Facebook walls as “Look at this video I caught of you!” luring people into clicking on the malicious link.

“The emails look harmless sometimes because they are coming from people that you legitimately know and websites you use. This is because when a virus infects, it scans through address lists and starts sending out copies to people on your address list,” Beeching said.

UAB students and employees concerned about this virus can protect themselves by taking some simple precautions.
“Always have to be careful of what you click on. You can always tell if they’re fake, because they will say something like going to a youtube site; however, if you hover your mouse over it, the link that shows up will be unfamiliar or a series of numbers,” Beeching said.

A virus, masquerading as a facebook update e-mail or wall post, is circulating the internet and causing harm to many computers on campus.

“The virus you’re describing sounds like Koobface. It will redirect you to a video hosting website that has been hacked. The website will then prompt you to download an Active X or Adobe Flash Player update,” Malware Analyst in the UAB Computer Forensics Program Brian Tanner said.

“That ‘update’ is actually the virus. It will then run a scan from a supposed anti-virus software that will detect a virus and ask you to enter credit card information in order to remove it. This info goes to someone who will exploit it.”
Some students are nervous about computer viruses. Junior, Grace Benton, said of the virus, “I, for one, find it deeply disconcerting that my private information is so highly accessible to those with the most nefarious of intentions. I commend the work of UAB IT services for their unceasing efforts to keep the internet safe from the wily tendrils of cyber evil-doers.”

If it is suspected that a computer has contracted this virus, a user can run a free malware detecting software such as SpyBot. If that does not detect or remove the program, then UAB IT has plenty of resources available to help.

Both experts say that the best precaution is to inspect links before clicking on them, and make sure that they go where they say they go. Ultimately, awareness is going to be the best preventative tool.
 

Email: scnorwo@uab.edu