Panda Security: The FBI and Facebook, a new lure for distributing malware
August 2008 by Panda
PandaLabs, Panda Security’s malware analysis and detection laboratory, has detected an email which includes a story about the FBI spying on Facebook as a cover for spreading the Nuwar.XM worm.
The message subject is "FBI wants instant access to Facebook" and the text reads: "Facebookk FBI tie’s" with a link supposedly pointing to the information. If users click the link, they will be taken to a Web page . This page has the following text: "Your download will Star shortly. If your unable to read the article, save it and run on your computer". The words "save it" include a hyperlink. As the article is not displayed, users will be tempted to click the link. However, if they do it, they will actually be downloading a copy of the worm onto their computer.
"The use of erotic images, attention-grabbing stories, etc. for enticing users to run files or follow links is known as social engineering. Even though it is a technique that has been in use for a long time, many users still fall in the trap, and therefore cyber crooks continue to employ it, simply updating the subject matter to make it more attractive and up-to-date", explains Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs.
The Panda Security laboratory advises users to be wary of all stories, videos and images, etc. that arrive via email from unknown users, as in most cases they will contain malware.
"The best thing is simply to delete such mail", says Corrons.