Facebook virus?

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
This one has me nervous . . . email I received at my work email address:

Check out my photos on Facebook

Hi Kevin,

I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile.

Thanks,
Karen


I have not opened it, this came from preview. I do not have a Facebook account and I am not a member of any other social media site, other than iboats (one addiction at a time for this boy). However, I do know this woman who sent this. Barely. The only way I can figure she has a connection to my email address is through the local High School Football team as our sons once played together, but I don?t think that was with my work email addy. She could?ve found me on my Company's website, and she is weird enough that this is possible.

But that?s not what?s bugging me. There are also names and pics below the email body that are a mixture of employees where I work, work contacts, and a couple of personal contacts that have nothing to do with each other. One I only know from iboats and there is no connection to my work email address there. I have replied to him with the Company address though. So it is like there is some access to my Outlook Contacts. Since I don?t have a facebook account, I can?t believe the others would have me listed as a ?friend?, so none of this makes sense. One of the employees I fired . . . :eek: But it starts with an email from the local woman . . .

I Googled the email title and the hits didn't really make sense to me, although there are virus/trojans/worms asscoiated with that title.

Thoughts
 

gonefishie

Commander
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
2,624
Re: Facebook virus?

It's possible that Karen puter is compromised and the bug is using her pc to phish her contacts. I'm not sure how it got your contacts too unless your puter is also compromised. This is very similar to another member who recently had all of his contacts received spams that he didn't sent.
 

kend301

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Messages
1,005
Re: Facebook virus?

With all the security crap going on with Facebook , I stay off of there for now . I read an article that they were having a corporate meeting about the situation .
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Facebook virus?

The weird thing is that the contacts listed on her email there is no way she could know. One of them was Reel Poor from here :confused: And remember, I don't really know her, and I believe that email addy is not the one I signed into the football parents things, although it may have been . . .

Could Facebook have got my name from those listed's Contacts and not mine? All of them may have had my name in their contacts. A couple of them are NOT in my Contacts although I recognize their names.
 

LadyFish

Admiral
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
6,894
Re: Facebook virus?

QC, if Reel Poor emailed you at any time, and she is on his facebook, all of his email addresses could be out there and attached to hers, and maybe now, even yours. I don't think they even have to add you as a friend. Its based on your email contacts.

This is exactly why I will not join MySpace or Face Book. Its too easy to have your email and contacts compromised.

Be sure your phishing filter is on.
 

dolluper

Captain
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
3,904
Re: Facebook virus?

Delete it and move on with life or write her back and say the link doesn't work....if you get a response check to see if the ip addresses match....then search the address
 

gonefishie

Commander
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
2,624
Re: Facebook virus?

LF has a good point. There is a friend finder feature on FB that look for "friends" based on email addrs. If janedoe@whatever.com listed that addr. on her profile then FB will search for everybody that she had emailed using that addr. FB is a joke anymore because it's full of flaws and the majority of the users are extremely naive or know nothing about internet security. They will happily grant these absolutely useless apps access to their profile. These apps then by EUA (end user agreement) gain access to their friends profile. Voila! the crooks get an endless supply of email addrs, phone #, names, DOB, place of employment, etc...
 

Tig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
416
Re: Facebook virus?

Based on what you say, it would seem that your addressbook is the source. Have you checked the email header to see where it really came from? There may be no real Facebook connection.
Oh, and run a couple different virus scanners on any machine that has your addressbook.
I have seen address books stolen and used to sell stuff. Not really a virus since it did not seem to infect a machine.
Typically the way the Facebook viruses work is you click the link received only to find out that you do not have the plugin or software required. So you have to click again to give permission to install the software(virus).
I delete notes like Karen's on sight.
 

JRJ

Commander
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Messages
2,992
Re: Facebook virus?

I got one similar and just deleted it. Hasn't returned.
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Facebook virus?

I am confident that it is not my address book now, but those of the facebook members listed. This Karen has struck both my wife and me as odd for years. She makes sure you know she is a "Beauty Queen" of some type, and then you find out she entered some stupid contest, she was the only entry, won it and got a tiara . . . WTF??? Obviously weird enough to add my name to her address book from casual contact etc.

To complete the circle that scared me, I think I have gleaned from your posts that the friend finder feature (the FFF, and rhymes with duck, duck, duck) selection on facebook starts the little ball roiling where anyone who has me in their contacts, who is also a facebook member and who has also allowed FFF then makes the connection.

I do delete items like that immediately, and this is a well protected machine and Company email server. However . . . this one really got my attention by the linking of very different types of contacts. Via PM I have received some other "posts" that indicate the threat that facebook is to Privacy. I want to reiterate I AM NOT A MEMBER and a I am pretty sure I will never be one . . . ;) Thanks for the help guys.
 

gonefishie

Commander
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
2,624
Re: Facebook virus?

Kevin and Karen sitting on a tree......:D
I think someone is trying to get out of trouble with the missus by claiming innocent. :D
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Facebook virus?

:D LOL ^^^^^^ That one, without the makeup, is yuckie, even with the makeup :eek: :rolleyes:
 

capslock118

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
249
Re: Facebook virus?

Hey folks,

Let's take a step back here. QC stated she never signed up for a facebook account, thus facebook has nothing to do with this.

A typical email virus works like this:
1 virus compromises email account a
2 virus grabs email accounts from the address book for emails b, c, d, and e
3 virus sends an email to emails b, c, d, and e
4 users of these email address who open that email are now compromised
5 wash repeat from next compromised machine.

The fact that the name 'facebook' is being used here doesnt mean the virus came from facebook, or even that the person the email came from has a facebook account; it simply means that the virus creator is using the facebook name to dupe people in thinking a friend of their updated something. As a lot of people use facebook, it may very well be easy to dupe people into thinking this.

As far as you stating the email addresses that are listed in the email and you have no idea how your friend, or this virus, got them. Have you looked at your address book and confirmed that every email address in that email is listed in your address book; I would be inclined to bet that this is the case and that your computer has been compromised.

There is nothing saying a virus could not have been sent to you, it first compiled the address book list, then created the email that is presented to you so it appears as if the sender already knew those email addresses.


Also, since you do not have a facebook account you wouldnt know, so i will tell you. Facebook doesnt keep your email address or some account about you just for fun. People cannot add you as a friend on facebook unless you HAVE a facebook account. Look, when someone adds a 'friend' on facebook, they are really adding a facebook account as a friend.

Think of it this way, you would not be able to add Capslock118 on iboats forum as a friend unless Capslock118 was a forum member. But capslock118 isnt a real person, it's an account, and it's the account you add as a friend.

There is a friend finder feature on FB that look for "friends" based on email addrs. If janedoe@whatever.com listed that addr. on her profile then FB will search for everybody that she had emailed using that addr. FB is a joke anymore because it's full of flaws and the majority of the users are extremely naive or know nothing about internet security. They will happily grant these absolutely useless apps access to their profile. These apps then by EUA (end user agreement) gain access to their friends profile. Voila! the crooks get an endless supply of email addrs, phone #, names, DOB, place of employment, etc...

yes...but a: this has nothing to do with QC as she doesnt have a facebook account and b: if the settings are set to private for the email address, it is not searchable. But if the email address was never used to log into facebook, facebook doesnt know about it.

That feature is only good if that email address exists in facebooks database.
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Facebook virus?

QC's a he, and you need to reread my posts. Not all of those listed are in my address book . . .
 

SS MAYFLOAT

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
6,372
Re: Facebook virus?

I lost a hard drive due to that site. Will never log on to it again. An old friend from school posted some videos. One of them just scrambled my puter big time. I called her up and to find out that it ruined hers as well. I did keep in touch with RP through FB. Going to only use the email method from now on.
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
1,790
Re: Facebook virus?

The nasty virus that infected my computer last week I believe came from facebook. No problems for several years and then as soon as I opened up facebook it happened. My son who knows much more than I about facebook said that facebook was known to spread viruses
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: Facebook virus?

QC,

Re-read the Facebook rules and security statement. Both have been in constant flux.

Essentially, Facebook knows they have a security issue but has ignored it, somewhat. They have re-written the rules/agreement to address it. Sort of.

If you sign up to FB today, the rules are completely different than a year ago-ongoing.

I woud NEVER be on-FB. It's an invitation to all sorts of foul play.

BTW, whatever you posted on FB, in the past, is their property. You can do NOTHING to prevent them from broadcasting it. Another reason.

That Million Dollar smile just got sold to: .............

You have NO recourse or payola!
 
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