Facebook Trojan Gets Mac, Linux & Windows

[m4tic]

A user gets a message asking "is this you in this video" and contained in the message is a link. Upon clicking the link the user is prompted to install software which will "enable viewing the video". At this point a savvy user should suspect that there is something wrong because it is not usual to install software to view a video.
http://irishdev.com/Home/News/1327-Trojan-Gets-Mac-Linux--Windows.html

[Grenage]

That article seems remarkably thin on facts, and thick on bad analogies.

[matthew.ball]

Hopefully now people will stop claiming "gnu/linux doesn't get viruses".

[Giant Speck]

Hopefully now people will stop claiming "gnu/linux doesn't get viruses".
But it's not really a virus. It's a trojan. There's a difference.

I mean, I know what you're trying to say, but that doesn't apply to this specific situation.

[GabrielYYZ]

i'm glad i'm fat, ugly and uninteresting... i get suspicious after the initial "is this you in this video?" message. :P

[Grenage]

i'm glad i'm fat, ugly and uninteresting... i get suspicious after the initial "is this you in this video?" message. :P

Lmao!

[Yougo]

well at least the article holds the user as the end-responsible one, instead of covertly trying to get you to buy antivirus crap (effectively turning the article itself into a trojan :P )

the ever-awkward car analogy strikes again in making things more confusing than they are, but if it takes articles like this one to scare people into properly taking care of their systems and personal data, then so be it.

[ctrlmd]

in this article it says mac and windows only
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020892-263.html

[Omnomnom]

Luckily enough, I don't add people that I don't know with no friends in common. And it does get suspicious when a CMD window pops up (Windows) or a download window pops up (Nice, pristine, secure, fast, Linux) that tries to download a .desktop file.

[Grenage]

in this article it says mac and windows only
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020892-263.html

At least that article has some actual information (the original link is shockingly bad). It doesn't seem very impressive, or newsworthy.

[Spice Weasel]

Don't use Facebook. :)

[undecim]

Don't use Facebook. :)

Did you click on this thread just to say that?

[Gremlinzzz]

Facebook Trojan' at least facebook is acting responsible! we wont have any more little systems running around.

[Spice Weasel]

Did you click on this thread just to say that?
Did you click on this thread just to say that?

[undecim]

Did you click on this thread just to say that?

Did you click on reply just to say that?

[Spice Weasel]

Did you click on reply just to say that?

If you're a Facebook user it's your decision if you want to use a site that funds itself through selling personal details or not, I was just pointing it out that if you don't use Facebook you won't be affected by this.

[pwnst*r]

I was just pointing it out that if you don't use Facebook you won't be affected by this.

False statement.

[m4tic]

If you're a Facebook user it's your decision if you want to use a site that funds itself through selling personal details or not, I was just pointing it out that if you don't use Facebook you won't be affected by this.


Damn internets!

[CharlesA]

First link is garbage. Second link is a bit better.

Also, there's already a (short) thread on it here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1608077).

[Frogs Hair]

This is unfairly directed at Mac , The Trojan is cross platform and written in Java. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020892-263.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

[pwnst*r]

This is unfairly directed at Mac , The Trojan is cross platform and written in Java. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020892-263.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Old.

[Frogs Hair]

Old.

I guess so two days.

[pwnst*r]

I guess so two days.

Not what I meant.



in this article it says mac and windows only
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020892-263.html

[julio_cortez]

If you're a Facebook user it's your decision if you want to use a site that funds itself through selling personal details or not, I was just pointing it out that if you don't use Facebook you won't be affected by this.It won't be long until someone decides to do the same in simple e-mails outside of FB.
Think about this: the first viruses were for floppies..
Then they started spreading by e-mail: would've it been useful saying "don't use floppies" with the virus spreading via e-mail? I don't think so.

The same will happen with this: chances are that this trojan will spread by e-mail sooner or later (it will maybe have links disguised as youtube ones instead of facebook, I guess). So, even if you don't use FB,you're not safe.

[Mr Bean]

So, even if you don't use FB,you're not safe.

On the other hand, you could use a modicum of common sense and be almost completely safe.

Don't run random executables folks. I suppose the first step would be to teach people the difference between an executable and a data file. But they don't care about that in IT class.

[CharlesA]

On the other hand, you could use a modicum of common sense and be almost completely safe.

Don't run random executables folks. I suppose the first step would be to teach people the difference between an executable and a data file. But they don't care about that in IT class.

Unfortunately the "average joe" who just clicks on everything is still going to get hit with malware/trojans.

That is somewhat "fixed" by using linux, but it's hard to change someone's behavior.

[Mr Bean]

Everyone starts using computers with essentially no knowledge of how they work, and most people never learn more than that.

That's why I mentioned IT class. School seems like the ideal place to introduce the average Joe to the fundamentals of computing. But most schools don't bother.

You're mostly just trained to use That Office Program That Shall Remain Nameless, which in the context of computing is about as irrelevant as a swimming class in which the kids are only taught how to put on goggles and are never even shown a swimming pool.

[Mr Bean]

And it wouldn't be so tragic if the kids didn't leave the class thinking they could swim.

[CharlesA]

Yep. It's not a good position to be in, especually with (almost) everything being computerized now.

[Spice Weasel]

Yeah, the education system needs to take a big look at ICT. I only ever had one good IT teacher and he was too restricted by the curriculum and wasn't allowed to teach us what he wanted to teach us. I only had lessons with him once a week. The rest of the time, we had the school's cookery teacher (no joke!) trying to teach us how to use Word and failing miserably. I had to show her how to plug in a keyboard. Sigh.

[Mr Bean]

Back in the day, I told two of my IT teachers that Mb and MB are too different units of data size. And neither of them believed me. One of them actually told me, when she was using the wrong one, "that's the way I've always done it", oh so that's okay then.

Plenty of dodgy online traders will try to misrepresent the storage size of their devices by giving a size in bits and hoping that you assume its in bytes.

It's the kind of thing schools really ought to teach. It wouldn't take 5 minutes to explain, and people would leave the class a little wiser. You wouldn't get maths teachers telling you that inches and centimetres are the same thing, so why is it acceptable for IT teachers to be thoroughly clueless?

[whiskeylover]

Trojan got me too. I bought an 18 pack last night.

[Grenage]

You wouldn't get maths teachers telling you that inches and centimetres are the same thing, so why is it acceptable for IT teachers to be thoroughly clueless?

Unfortunately (and I speak regarding UK schools), if someone is competent enough to teach people what is both correct and current, they could be earning more elsewhere. While being paid more, they are also learning.

Would I want to teach? Hell no. If there was a rotational system where you could teach for one month and then resume normal work, perhaps.

[Old *ix Geek]

Don't use Facebook. :)I deleted my FB account months ago, and haven't regretted it for a millisecond.

[Mr Bean]

Unfortunately (and I speak regarding UK schools), if someone is competent enough to teach people what is both correct and current, they could be earning more elsewhere. While being paid more, they are also learning.

Would I want to teach? Hell no. If there was a rotational system where you could teach for one month and then resume normal work, perhaps.


Having different teachers month in, month out, may prove to be equally as destructive as having a single clueless teacher for the entire year. The kids would always feel as though they were backtracking.

I suppose we need to raise the requirements to teach, and increase the pay accordingly.

But I'm always cautious about suggesting "raising requirements" because bureaucrats always misinterpret that as "implement more meaningless tests and qualifications" and that is NOT what we need. We just need someone with a clue to sit down and interview the candidates, so that they can say "you have a clue too, therefore you can teach, whereas you are clueless and cannot teach".

Qualifications are an obfuscation. You need to talk to people to find out what they can do. Increasingly the government is relying on people as classified, qualified, categorised, compartmentalised, graded, approved, tested, assorted automatons that are entirely interchangeable and replaceable with oneanother. Just pick another human unit with the right rating or specification - they're all the same.

This is of course a childish and degrading view of humanity that has no bearing on reality whatsoever.

[BigCityCat]

Unfortunately (and I speak regarding UK schools), if someone is competent enough to teach people what is both correct and current, they could be earning more elsewhere. While being paid more, they are also learning.

Would I want to teach? Hell no. If there was a rotational system where you could teach for one month and then resume normal work, perhaps.

Yup private sector schools can do a far better job educating than unionized beaurocracy.

[julio_cortez]

You wouldn't get maths teachers telling you that inches and centimetres are the same thing, so why is it acceptable for IT teachers to be thoroughly clueless?Wow, I can stand people confusing MiBs with MBs, and it happened also to myself to swear at a DVD because it wouldn't let me write 4,7GiB of data, just to realize that the limit was 4,7GB (even if the difference was quite 350MiB so quite the 8%)..

But bytes with bits is a little ODD.. For Heaven's sake, bytes are 8 TIMES BIGGER than bits!! It's not the 8% the difference, it's the 800%!! How come don't you notice the difference? -_-'

But, still, this was a go at ignorance/sillyness (like in my case with the DVD): people could be wise even if they don't know what a MiB is..
But people double-clicking on everything just because "it has those nice colours in the icon" should really blame themselves if they get their machine hacked/crashed/wiped.

[Grenage]

Having different teachers month in, month out, may prove to be equally as destructive as having a single clueless teacher for the entire year. The kids would always feel as though they were backtracking.

I suppose we need to raise the requirements to teach, and increase the pay accordingly.

But I'm always cautious about suggesting "raising requirements" because bureaucrats always misinterpret that as "implement more meaningless tests and qualifications" and that is NOT what we need. We just need someone with a clue to sit down and interview the candidates, so that they can say "you have a clue too, therefore you can teach, whereas you are clueless and cannot teach".

Qualifications are an obfuscation. You need to talk to people to find out what they can do. Increasingly the government is relying on people as classified, qualified, categorised, compartmentalised, graded, approved, tested, assorted automatons that are entirely interchangeable and replaceable with oneanother. Just pick another human unit with the right rating or specification - they're all the same.

This is of course a childish and degrading view of humanity that has no bearing on reality whatsoever.

Yup, it's a difficult problem to solve; one I certainly don't have an answer to.

[ubunterooster]

People who are unknowledgeable about computers will be unstoppable in installing malware

And speaking of being knowledgeable: "a new Jawa Trojan"
http://big-chef.com/tsir/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/jawa.jpg

[Spice Weasel]

Any ideas as to where I can buy contact lenses like that?

[ubunterooster]

Any ideas as to where I can buy contact lenses like that?
Maybe Troy, the article mentioned in the first post mentioned Trojan Jawas

[misfitpierce]

Hopefully now people will stop claiming "gnu/linux doesn't get viruses".

Its not a virus technically tho, its a worm. Its gone on a simple restart rather than hijacking your machine and causing malicious things to happen. I consider it more of a spyware style worm as from my understanding it takes your networking information and stuff. Thats my view on it.

[gamebusterzade]

wow 13 hours ago this started

i was almost hit by this one months ago

was saved by the lack of software on the Ipod touch becouse FB works like s*** outside of the app