It seems like every other day there is news about how Facebook got hit by another wave of malicious worms and spam. However it’s much bigger this time. For the past three days, reports are coming in that the newsfeeds of people are displaying NSFW (Not Safe for Work), offensive and violent images.
The content ranges from graphic scenes of death and gore to p*rn and others which can be deemed highly offensive.
This attack is different than the others because people are being affected faster than previous attacks and the scale of the attack is massive. It appears that the hacks are affecting random people, with some seeing objectionable content and others not seeing anything at all.
In many cases, a link with an inviting title is shared which leads to a dead end and results in the hacking of account of whoever clicks it while the malicious link is shared with all of the users friends. Similarly many users are being tagged in bogus photos and videos; one click and their accounts are compromised.
Many fingers are pointing towards Anonymous, who said that they were going to take down Facebook on the 5th of November and last week claimed that they were developing a Guy Fawkes virus through which they would carry out the attack.
But 5th November came and went and nothing happened. While many people claim that it’s finally happening now, Anonymous have released a statement saying they aren’t responsible.
ProPakistani highly recommends that you change your password and put up a disclaimer in case your account is being used to spread this content. The hacked user isn’t notified when this content is shared so you would do well to put up a disclaimer status as well since many of us have close family and friends as well as colleagues in our friend lists. Lastly, run a virus scan on your computer to ensure you are safe.
Have you or your friends been affected by this attack or some other spam on Facebook? Let s know in the comments!
