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| 'Enable Dislike Button' |
A new Facebook scam is generating its way around the social networking web site, luring users having a link that claims to "Enable Dislike Button."
Researchers at security firm Sophos initial detected the scam over the weekend, when messages supplying a dislike button began emerging on Facebook users' walls.
The message reads: "Facebook now features a dislike button! Click 'Enable Dislike Button' to turn on the new characteristic."
Graham Cluley, Sophos senior technological innovation consultant, mentioned that the hackers behind the scam managed to circumvent Facebook's security and replace the "Share" button using a link that says " Enable Dislike Button ," producing it seem legitimate.
"The fact that the 'Enable Dislike Button' link will not seem in the primary element of the message, but lower down alongside "Link" and "Comment," is probably to fool some users into believing that it is actually genuine," Cluley mentioned inside a blog post.
Upon clicking the "Enable Dislike" link, users will probably be subjected to an application that requests them to follow particular methods, allegedly to allow the phony "dislike" button. The guidelines consist of copying and pasting JavaScript in their browsers, which instantly spams the fake "dislike" characteristic scam to everybody on their friends' list by posting it on their Facebook wall.
Hence far, the "Enable Dislike Button" ploy seems to be a common survey scam intended to maximize earnings on a per-click or per-user basis. But security authorities say that viral trickery has exactly the same prospective to run malicious code on victims' machines, which could lead to their systems to crash in a denial of service attack or allow hackers install malware that could totally take control of their computer systems to access and steal sensitive information.
Cluley said that the scam exploits Facebook users' wish to possess a way of "disliking" a post, an occasion or one more application within the very same way that they "like" one thing.
"As we've explained before, there isn't any official dislike button supplied by Facebook and there isn't ever probably to become," Cluley said. "But it remains one thing that quite a few Facebook users would like, and so scammers have generally applied the provide of a 'Dislike button' as bait for the unwary."
Facebook's recent admission that it hired a public relations firm to spread the word about privacy problems at Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has left each companies seeking foolish.
A Facebook spokesman confirmed that Facebook hired public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller to “encourage” media outlets to write anti-Google stories, especially urging them to appear in to claims that Google is invading people's privacy.
Facebook gave two good reasons for why it made the decision to play the Richard Nixon role in this contemporary version of Watergate: The Musical. To begin with, Facebook believes that Google is engaging in some social networking practices that happen to be violating the privacy of its users. Second, Facebook dislikes (to say it mildly) that Google is trying to utilize Facebook's data in its very own, competing social-networking service.
The service beneath fire is really a Google element called “Social Circle”. Social Circle includes a characteristic which will allow Gmail account users to find out info about their close friends, considerably like Facebook offers. Exactly where it gets a little sketchy is the fact that Social Circle will allow users to also see the information and facts of pals of associates. Google calls these close friends of friends “secondary connections”. Facebook calls them worrisome, and hired the PR firm to spread the word regarding the practice.
Burson-Marsteller does not walk away from this battle unscathed. For a single, they managed to undertake a secretive project and then hold it...not a secret. That may well harm their efforts to retain latest customers and pursue new ones, not to mention it could make them look slightly foolish this week.
Most likely the only one who walks away from the fiasco with any sense of dignity is Chris Soghoian, the blogger who was contacted by Burson-Marsteller to write an op-ed piece, and then published their conversation just after Burson wouldn't say who their client was. He's surely a hero to those that worth openness and the free of charge exchange of details across the globe
Google Looking For With 'Enable Dislike Button' On Facebook
A Facebook spokesman confirmed that Facebook hired public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller to “encourage” media outlets to write anti-Google stories, especially urging them to appear in to claims that Google is invading people's privacy.
Facebook gave two good reasons for why it made the decision to play the Richard Nixon role in this contemporary version of Watergate: The Musical. To begin with, Facebook believes that Google is engaging in some social networking practices that happen to be violating the privacy of its users. Second, Facebook dislikes (to say it mildly) that Google is trying to utilize Facebook's data in its very own, competing social-networking service.
The service beneath fire is really a Google element called “Social Circle”. Social Circle includes a characteristic which will allow Gmail account users to find out info about their close friends, considerably like Facebook offers. Exactly where it gets a little sketchy is the fact that Social Circle will allow users to also see the information and facts of pals of associates. Google calls these close friends of friends “secondary connections”. Facebook calls them worrisome, and hired the PR firm to spread the word regarding the practice.
Burson-Marsteller does not walk away from this battle unscathed. For a single, they managed to undertake a secretive project and then hold it...not a secret. That may well harm their efforts to retain latest customers and pursue new ones, not to mention it could make them look slightly foolish this week.
Most likely the only one who walks away from the fiasco with any sense of dignity is Chris Soghoian, the blogger who was contacted by Burson-Marsteller to write an op-ed piece, and then published their conversation just after Burson wouldn't say who their client was. He's surely a hero to those that worth openness and the free of charge exchange of details across the globe
Google Looking For With 'Enable Dislike Button' On Facebook
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