by Caspertwin 15 November 2011
Update here as at 17 November 2011
Update 16 November 2011 2pm
Facebook hit with flood of porn spam
Update 16 November 2011 11:30am
Here is a statement from Facebook SOURCE
“Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us, and we are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. Recently, we experienced a coordinated spam attack that exploited a browser vulnerability. Our efforts have drastically limited the damage caused by this attack, and we are now in the process of investigating to identify those responsible.
During this spam attack users were tricked into pasting and executing malicious javascript in their browser URL bar causing them to unknowingly share this offensive content. Our engineers have been working diligently on this self-XSS vulnerability in the browser. We’ve built enforcement mechanisms to quickly shut down the malicious Pages and accounts that attempt to exploit it. We have also been putting those affected through educational checkpoints so they know how to protect themselves. We’ve put in place backend measures to reduce the rate of these attacks and will continue to iterate on our defenses to find new ways to protect people.” – Facebook
Below are some articles worth a read:
Full Article http://facecrooks.com
Facebook breaks silence on Porno Spam Attack
Full Article the telegraph.com.au
“We are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us.
Hoax-Slayer Status
Statement from Facebook:
“Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us, and we are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. Recently, we experienced a coordinated spam attack that exploited a browser vulnerability. Our efforts have drastically limited the damage caused by this attack, and we are now in the process of investigating to identify those responsible.
Full Article http://thatsnonsense.com
Its early days and it is best not to assume anything yet. If you do see such offensive material posted on your newsfeed, hover over the post and select the down arrow on the top right and hit “Report Story or Spam” – its appears Facebook is relying heavily on its user base flagging such offensive material for them.
Full Article ZDnet
Facebook confirmed the NSFW problem with me this morning and now, this afternoon, is offering more details. In short, Facebook says it was hit by a coordinated spam attack leveraging a browser vulnerability.
Full Article http://mashable.com
It isn’t clear how the spam is being transmitted or by whom, but some sources are pointing fingers at Anonymous. The loosely affiliated group of hacker activists threatened to attack Facebook earlier this month. Anonymous, however, hasn’t mentioned the attack on any of the social channels through which it usually takes credit for its actions.
Caspertwin Advice as at 16 November 2011
Be vigilant and be careful what Facebook apps you comment on, share or like. If your unsure or concerned about any link you can check the web page URL for hidden illicit content (invisible spam links, malicious scripts and redirects), type in the URL of the web page and click “Check”. Here, before you click onto anything your unsure off.
I Will be updating this post as news come to hand
The message “Facebook has 4 or 5 new VIRUSES ” is untrues as at 15/11/2011.
These types of messages are confusing a lot of people and spreading misleading information. Below I have put together 2 very useful sites that best explain how they are untrue .
There is no credible evidence to support the claim that these rogue applications crash, shut down or damage the user’s computer in any way. The people who operate such survey scams want victims to be able to use their computers to fill in their bogus surveys. Crashing or disabling the victim’s computer is entirely counter to their goals.
Thatsnonsense.com Full Article
Message is misleading and in fact just an incarnation of a much older and equally misleading message that did the rounds earlier in 2011.
Require more advice regarding this or any other computer issue Contact Us
Below is a sample of the message DO NOT COPY, PASTE, OR SHARE
I Repeat DO NOT COPY, PASTE, OR SHARE ONLY A SAMPLE
Internet, Tech, & Securities Articles 