We get asked this question a lot; can i get a virus from Facebook?
As pretty much half the world uses Facebook now and just about every single customer we have in Townsville uses the Social Network giant. every time one of our customers get a virus on their computer they ask us the question.
Facebook is a web service which allows you to see, communicate, interact and corroborate with other people (not always friends) who also have a Facebook account.
The good news is, you can not get a virus on your computer or laptop, simply by using Facebook, reading posts, communicating with others or searching the service.
The bad news is, you can get viruses on your computer from problems and people who originate using the Facebook service.
This post will endeavor how people have been infected with viruses not specifically from Facebook but originated from using the service.
Links to external websites
The Facebook service is very free and protected from computer malware, including viruses, adware, spyware, Trojans and ransomware.
The problems arise when when people with criminal intent put links on Facebook to external sources.
They are always under the guise of a different service or article.
For example, someone might put a link on their wall or in one of their Facebook posts to an external website (not Facebooks website) and call the link “Michael Jordan’s top 10 Dunks”.
If you anything like me and love watching Basketball highlights, you might be quicker to click than think and choose the link.
Once you do that, you have left the realm of Facebook, including their security and protection. You are now using a completely different website which a criminal might pwn and control.
Within this website could be an embed viruses which if your security is not good enough could infect your computer.
The good news is the Facebook community is very good at reporting and blocking these links, however their is always a time between when these links are posted and how long it takes for them to be reported and moved. That is when you maybe at risk the most.
The reason this works is because anybody with a Facebook account can add a link within the Facebook website and anyone can make their own website and put any information they want into their own website real estate Whether it be Michael Jordan’s top 10 dunks, your own social network or viruses and other mischievous programs.
Social Engineering
Social Engineering is almost an art form performed by some very smart, well trained and convincing individuals who use social tactics to communicate with, gain your confidence and access your private information.
These criminals are very good at their art form and a real true professional social engineer will gain access to your information without you even know they did, or even having known their true identity.
They can do this with anonymity because of the faceless contact they can have with you over the internet and Facebook and a lot of them are in countries where they are either not policed, or their are simply lack of resources to chase them up and prosecute.
We talk a lot with our customers. And even though we are not a security firm with deep intelligence into the activities of people and customers in Australia, we do speak with our customers a lot and have found these three key areas most of our customers have either been scammed, tricked, or infected when it comes to social engineering on the Facebook social network platform website.
Social Engineering Fake Friends
This is done by criminals seeing what friends you have on your Facebook account if you make it visible and creating an account using those friends photos and information in their own fake Facebook account.
They will then proceed to add a lot of photos, similar friends and then yourself under the guise of their own account is no longer active and they will be using this new one now.
You will see their friend request and message and because you know the name of the account already, recognise some of the friends and photos, accept the new request and think the criminal is your legitimate friend.
Seeing your Facebook posts and from others some of these criminals are so well trained and well versed they are able to communicate with you and extract information using various tactics to the the necessary information from you to access bank details over the phone and financial institutes over the internet. It is not common but does happen.
Social Engineering Dating Scams – Worth a Mention
Dating Scams or Romance Scams are not Viruses but cost Australians more than half a billion dollars every year in which innocent Australia’s have been tricked into sending money to people who simply do not exist or who are faking their relationships in order to get money.
People are looking for love everywhere. And although Facebook is not specifically a dating website, people use it for such to the point where more people people their husbands and wives more than anywhere else in the world, including dating sites.
Because people from all over the world now have access to cheap computers, affordable or free WiFi, it is very easy for criminals to create a fake profile, pretend they are genuinely interested in a relationship with you, gain your confidence (social engineering) and then sak for money out of pity, a fake operating, a ticket for a flight to come see you.
You might laugh and think its impossible, but we see it every week in Townsville and its happening all over the world.
I think in Australia where there is a lot less scams than in other much poorer countries, are shields are sometimes not up as high or hard as they should be – after all our standard of living is so much higher than a lot of other countries.
This paints a big target on our backs and criminals from other countries use Facebook to communicate with us and scam using dating intended methods.
Conclusion
Facebook is very very safe. But once you click on a link leaving Facebook, it really has nothing to do with the social network and you are in another persons or companies territory.
