McAfee puts Facebook users on threat alert
- — 19 March, 2010 17:00
Security software company McAfee has issued a warning to Facebook users about the latest threat to hit the popular social-networking site.
McAfee has stated that the threat is a password-stealing virus attached to an e-mail that claims to be from Facebook. The e-mail states that a user's password has been reset and the only way to retrieve a new one is by clicking on an attachment.
The virus began to spread midweek.
Dave Marcus, a security expert for McAfee, has stated that this threat can easily turn into a major problem for the more than 400 million people who use Facebook worldwide, predicting 'spam' waves hitting highs of around 200 e-mails per half hour.
“Once installed, the password stealer can potentially access any username and password combination on that computer, from your bank details to your e-mail log-ins,” he said.
Facebook doesn't send e-mail alerts to its users stating that they have changed their password.
McAfee added that customers who currently have a subscription to the company's security software are protected from this type of malware. BitDefender has also released a warning to its users, suggesting users install and update a complete antimalware software solution to protect their PC.
