Beware: Porn-Based Malware Is Sweeping Across Facebook

Don't click any porn links on Facebook. Just don't. It's a good rule of thumb, but there's an extra good reason right now. There's a troubling type of porn-based malware that's apparently infected over 110,000 Facebook users in two days. And you could get the same Click Transmitted Disease.

The Facebook malware is disguised as a Flash update. Basically, you'll see a link to a porn video in one of your friend's posts. If you click on it (don't) you'll be taken to a website that may or may not be disguised as YouTube and see the first few seconds of the video. Then the video will prompt you to download a Flash update to keep watching. If you do, you'll infect your computer with a Trojan that can highjack your keyboard and mouse.

Once you're infected, the malware starts posting porn links to your Facebook wall and tagging up to 20 friends each time. Unlike blasting messages, this technique enables the malware to keep a low profile (as low as you can while posting literal porn), while also displaying itself publicly on your profile. That's evidently how the malware infected so many Facebook users so quickly.

We haven't seen this malware in action, and we don't want to. We've also reached out to Facebook to see how they're handling the issue. Regardless, you can save yourself the hassle of dealing with it if you just avoid clicking porn links on Facebook. Don't do it! In general! [ThreatPost]

Update (4:10pm): Facebook just issued the following statement:

We use a number of automated systems to identify potentially harmful links and stop them from spreading. In this case, we're aware of these malware varieties, which are typically hosted as browser extensions and distributed using links on social media sites. We are blocking links to these scams, offering cleanup options, and pursuing additional measures to ensure that people continue to have a safe experience on Facebook.

Screenshot via CSO

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