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| CURRENT SECTION :: TechZone | UK's most visited IT Contractor Site - 250k unique visitors March 2008 |
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Facebook users are advised to click away from an application entitled ‘Secret Crush’ because it’s real secret is that it clogs up their PCs with spyware. Issuing the warning, security experts said the widget, which has over 56,000 daily users, claims to tell users of the site which person on their friends list fancies them. Users tempted by the proposition have to invite at least five other Facebook friends to install the application, depicted by a bright red heart, before their mystery admirer is revealed. However, no secret crush ever comes to light. Instead users are directed to an external site which invites them to download potentially unwanted applications to display pop-up adverts. “Whoever wrote this Secret Crush application is cashing-in big time, by encouraging people to download the adware,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. “As an affiliate for the people displaying the nuisance pop-up adverts, they are getting paid for each successful installation.” Since September last year, the firm reminded that widgets have been developed not by Facebook but by external developers, some of whom will try get-rich-quick schemes. In a message to IT administrators, Sophos urged: “If your users are installing third party Facebook applications in the office they could potentially be bringing adware, spyware and malware into your organization at the same time. “The best defence is for businesses to defend themselves with a web security and control appliance which can filter internet access and prevent the downloading of malicious code.” The firm said the influx of developers’ inventions is “obviously proving impossible” for Facebook “to police”. It added: “The message from Facebook to its users appears to be 'add third party applications at your own risk'.” Jan 10, 2008 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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