Notes:
If you get a
post from one of your FB friends that says they are lonely and want people to `like` them, do not hit the `like` prompt. It is anasty virus-worm and can screw up your
computer. It can also mean your friend has been hit with... the worm and it went through...their...buddylist/friends... list and got... your name that way. Please becareful!
Please repost
These messages are actually based on truth and its down to a Facebook application that lets users `Like` any website, as opposed to
just Facebook fan pages or groups. Furthermore, it is easy to hide the intention of the `Like` button by masking it with what appears to be a normal status update, such
as
I am feeling lonely. Like me to make me feel happy!
Upon clicking Like, the user is then diverted
to the site they have unintentionally liked. For the most part, the sites we have seen matching the warning message above are actually harmless (if a little immoral) marketing
sites like mylikebook.com or mylikes.com that are commerical sites designed to make money from sites/blogs/tweets. After you click the `Like` button, the same message will
appear in your news feed for all of your friends to see and potentially click on as well, which is how it spreads (much like a Koobface virus).
That said, this
does highlight a security flaw regarding this Facebook `Like` application as it is not outside the realms of possibility that the `Like` button can direct people to harmful
sites as opposed to the marketing sites we have seen previously. The best course of action is before clicking `Like` on any news feed article, hover your mouse (for IE) over
the `Like` link and the destination of the link should appear in the status bar at the bottom of the window. Ensure it is a Facebook link, and not an external website.
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