FACEBOOK VIRUS
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FACEBOOK users in Singapore are facing a threat from an application that may steal their personal information.
The viral application issues a prompt to users of the popular social networking site to say that other users are having problems viewing their profile.
It asks them to activate an 'Error Check System' application to 'correct' these errors. If they click on it, the application will send messages to their friends, to try and get them to accept the application as well.
The cyber trap has the potential to affect the 495,000 or so unique visitors from Singapore to the Facebook site monthly. Security firms and Facebook have stepped up measures to warn users that the so-called errors do not exist.
A statement from UK-based security firm Sophos, which tracks vulnerabilities on the Internet, said: 'The warning messages were, in fact, a viral attempt by a third party to recruit more users and - potentially - steal personal information for financial gain.'
Installing the application allows the person behind it access to one's profile, including e-mail address, phone number, occupation details and even names of family members derived from photographs posted. Banks commonly ask for such information when a customer is opening an account or applying for a credit card, for instance.
Worse still, users who use the Google search engine to try and find out more about the application may be hit by a double viral dose.
