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Facebook recently came under attack by hackers who are posting malicious links on the Wall section of user profiles. The links urge the user to click on them to view a video hosted by Google, but in reality the link takes them to a compromised page with another link that claims to be an update for Adobe Flash. If clicked it downloads a Trojan called Troj/Dloadr-BPL. Once installed it downloads additional malware onto the infected computer.

The malicious message is made to look like it came from one of the members on the user’s list of friends. It’s likely that many people have already fallen for the hacker’s fake link and had their Facebook account hijacked as a result. This isn’t the first time hackers have targeted a social networking site. MySpace has been targeted more than a few times already, and the pages of several celebrities have been compromised. It appears that Web 2.0 is overshadowing email as a favorite target for hackers and spammers. If you find a link to a video posted on your Wall from a friend, be very suspicious and thin twice before clicking on it!

Read [PC World]

According to Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report for July through December 2007, web attacks are on the rise.

With more users becoming cautious about downloading and opening email attachments, hackers are now looking for new ways to “trick” users into downloading malware.  The most popular attack is the embedding of malware into websites, especially through banner advertisements. In fact, adware has increased by 66 percent. The most common type of malware removed by Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) are Trojan horses, which disguise themselves as innocent software but contain hidden malicious code within—which can be used to create a back door or collect personal information, for example. Microsoft reports that the number of Trojan horses has exploded by 300 percent during the second half of 2007. In all, the software giant says that the number of malicious software removed by its MSRT has increased by 40 percent. Another attack gaining popularity is phishing, which is the act of tricking users into visiting a legitimate looking website and entering their personal information (e.g., social security and credit card numbers), only to have it stolen and/or sold to a third party. 

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