{"id":93379,"date":"2017-09-04T10:42:23","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T10:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=93379"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:48:03","slug":"watch-out-for-this-virus-spreading-via-fb-messenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/watch-out-for-this-virus-spreading-via-fb-messenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch out for this virus spreading via FB Messenger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has a friend recently sent\u00a0you a <\/span>video link via Facebook Messenger<\/b>? Be careful, it could be a virus. At least according to security experts at <\/span>Kaspersky Lab<\/span><\/a>. Below, we\u2019ll tell you everything you need to know about this threat, and how to prevent it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The virus is passed through a Facebook message from a friend. On his\/her behalf, you\u2019ll receive a shortened link (usually from the domain bit.ly) with the text <\/span>\u201c<your friend\u2019s name> Video.\u201d <\/b>It looks like the image below:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"virus-1\"<\/p>\n

Obviously, your friend David didn\u2019t send you this message. Rather, <\/span>a hacker took advantage of a vulnerability in his account <\/b>to try to spread the virus to\u00a0you.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we click on the link, it takes us to a Google doc with an image based on <\/span>one your friend <\/b>has on Facebook, posing as a video. If you click it, it takes you to another site depending on the browser and the operating system used (yeah, nobody\u2019s in the clear, as it affects\u00a0Windows, <\/span>Mac<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Linux).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"virus-2\"<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re using <\/span>Firefox<\/span><\/a> on Windows, by clicking the fake video, you\u2019ll be redirected to a site with a fake window to update Flash Player and an <\/span>.exe file <\/b>that mimics the actual update.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"virus-31\"<\/p>\n

Instead, if the victim accesses it from Chrome, he\/she will be redirected to a page that looks like YouTube and displays an error message that prompts us\u00a0to download a browser extension. This\u00a0<\/span>extension<\/b> is actually a \u201cdownloader\u201d that lets a malicious file enter your PC.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"virus-4\"<\/p>\n

Hackers’ reasons for this malicious act seem to be purely economic:<\/span> the files installed without our permission are adware<\/b>, i.e. a means\u00a0to show us unwanted ads that hackers profit from.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can I prevent this virus?<\/b><\/h3>\n

As always, <\/span>common sense<\/b> is the best antidote to any virus. <\/span>Be cautious\u00a0<\/b>of\u00a0<\/b>any strange links: if a friend sends you something, he\/she will message you more personally than hackers using bots.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, <\/span>always keep your PC updated<\/b> and use <\/span>antivirus<\/span><\/a> and other security programs. In most cases, this will prevent any infection.<\/span><\/p>\n

To wrap up this article, we\u2019ll leave you with<\/span> several security tips<\/b> you should keep in mind if you\u2019re a PC user (things you should never share on Facebook!). <\/span><\/p>\n

7 things you should never share on Facebook<\/a> by softonic-en<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: <\/span>The Hacker News<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related Links<\/p>\n

The baffling truth behind the AI Facebook shut down \u201cout of fear it was conspiring against humanity\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Facebook\u2019s mobile site gets a makeover: say goodbye to blue bars, and more\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n

This is how Facebook spies on you even if you don\u2019t use Facebook<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How to take 360\u00ba Photos on Facebook<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has a friend recently sent\u00a0you a video link via Facebook Messenger? Be careful, it could be a virus. At least according to security experts at Kaspersky Lab. Below, we\u2019ll tell you everything you need to know about this threat, and how to prevent it. The virus is passed through a Facebook message from a friend. … Continue reading “Watch out for this virus spreading via FB Messenger”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2041,"featured_media":93425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-93379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2041"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328606,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93379\/revisions\/328606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93379"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=93379"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=93379"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=93379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}