New Spam Targeting Facebook Users Is Invisible to Most Virus Scans

Cyber-criminals are using fake e-mails to target Facebook users and deliver computer viruses that were being detected only by one-third of the 42 most common anti-virus products as of 12 noon March 18, says a leading cyber-crime researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Gary Warner, the UAB director of research in computer forensics, says his team in the UAB Spam Data Mine has been tracking the Facebook spam campaign for the past three days. While it is not in the data mine's list of the top 10 most prevalent malware threats, Warner says the fake Facebook messages and related viruses are serious.
"The malware being delivered is called 'BredoLab.' It has been occasionally spread by spam since May of 2009," Warner says. "The UAB Spam Data Mine has observed at least eight versions of the Facebook BredoLab malware since March 16.
"What is troubling is the newer versions of the BredoLab used in this latest attack campaign are not being detected by the majority of anti-virus services -- and that means the majority of users who unwittingly click on the bogus attachments linked to fake e-mails are going to have their computers infected," Warner says.
In this new campaign, cyber-criminals are using regular Internet e-mail services to deliver the false Facebook messages to the social media site's customers. The spam messages ask recipients to open an attachment in order to obtain new Facebook login information. Clicking the attachment exposes a user's computer to the BredoLab malware.
"Once a computer is infected with BredoLab, the cyber-criminals are able to add any other malicious software they desire to the infected computer, including password-stealing software, fake anti-virus software and spam-sending software," Warner says.
Warner warns that any legitimate company would never ask a customer to update his or her personal account information in an e-mail or through e-mail-embedded links or attachments.
"If there are questions about one of your account profiles, visit the site in question through your Web browser and log in as you normally would," he says. "If an entity has an important message for you, you'll be able to find it on its Web page."

Skype update connects you deeper with Facebook

Skype has released the latest update to its online calling software for Windows, offering more options for Facebook users.
Officially out of beta since Wednesday, the latest Skype 5.5 for Windows lets you check which of your Facebook friends are online and available to chat, all without having to leave Skype. Simply clicking on the View menu in the Skype software and then choosing Facebook Friends shows you the list.
By clicking on and then closing the Skype Home screen, you can also update your Facebook status and scroll down to view your entire Facebook wall.
Beyond the Facebook integration, Skype says that its latest version offers improved controls for video and group calls for Windows, better call reliability, and various design changes in the interface.
For some reason, I was unable to directly update my current version of Skype (5.3) to 5.5. Clicking on the "Check for Updates" link in the Help menu told me I was already running the latest version. I had to manually download and install the 5.5 version to get the new update.
But once it was installed, I was able to use Skype 5.5 to view my online Facebook friends, access my wall, and post status updates just as easily as I could in Facebook.

Unknown Facebook 'friend' may be hacker

People who are careful about their Facebook security and friend requests may not need to hear this, but for everyone else — or if you've ever received a friend request and thought "I might have known this person in high school" — consider this new vulnerability that lets hackers bypass the Facebook security question with fake friends.
We're still testing this security question vulnerability (testing means the account will be locked for 24 hours after the password change), but a reader sent in this tip about how easy it is for a hacker to bypass the security question on Facebook.
Apparently, if you tell Facebook that you no longer have access to your email account(s) or mobile phone, you'll get the common security question prompt. If you answer the security question wrong (or a hacker does), you can verify your account by sending codes to 3 friends. Trouble is, a hacker could plant fake friends into your account—if you automatically accept them—and then go through this process to reset your Facebook password.
To protect yourself from this vulnerability, hacker9 recommends registering your mobile phone on Facebook and enabling all the account security settings (including the recently mentioned "Login Approvals" feature). And, of course, be wary when accepting strange friend requests.

The Difference Between Twitter and Facebook & Why You Should Use Both

Social media is a term that is used in the online marketing world daily. Marketers are telling clients to sign-up for Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Some businesses will head home and sign-up right away but others are a little hesitant to sign-up for something new. We talk with businesses all of the time who ask us the same question, “what’s the difference between Twitter and Facebook and why should I sign-up?”

While people are a little shy to get started on a social network, many forget to keep in mind how much people around the world have come to rely on the internet and the tools it provides. As more and more businesses are starting to move into the online marketing world, it’s important that they have a presence on both Twitter AND Facebook.

Five Reasons You Should Use Both Twitter and Facebook

There are a variety of reasons why you should create a social media plan that allows you to dedicate a little bit of time each week to both of these social networks. Some people tend to group all social networks together and say it’s all the same thing. They’re wrong. Twitter and Facebook both have their differences and both can benefit your business in the long run.
1. Different audiences – Not everyone who uses Twitter is on Facebook and not everyone who uses Facebook is on Twitter. As of February 2011, more people ages 18-25 were on Facebook, while people ages 26-44 were much more prominent on Twitter. Who is your target audience?
2. Different uses - Twitter allows you to post 140 characters at a time, while Facebook allows you to post 420 characters at a time. This doesn’t mean you should automatically go to Facebook for more space. Twitter is great for posting articles, announcements and short updates (there are apps that will allow you to post longer updates that will open in a webpage). Facebook allows you to get into a little bit more detail, create events, post photos and more.
3. The ability to post updates to both - It will be an annoyance for anyone who follows you on both Twitter and Facebook, but if you have a limited amount of time to dedicate to social media each week, you can hook up Twitter to update when a new post is added on Facebook or vice versa.
4. Search engines like social media – All things in online marketing eventually come back to search engine optimization. Search engines such as Google and Bing do listen to what is going on with both Twitter and Facebook. If your Twitter timeline is public there is a good chance your tweets will get indexed. Recent changes to Facebook are allowing pages to be indexed. This allows  for more keywords and a better chance to draw users into your business.
5. It’s the next generation of marketing – Businesses have found that social media is free and easy to use. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to print post cards and mail them, people are relying on Twitter AND Facebook to get their messages out. As students are graduating college, they are using both to find jobs, learn more about a company and connect with their potential employers. Sorry older generation-the reality is the yellow pages are now hard to find and are more likely to be used as a doorstop than to find new business.

Still Not Convinced?

If you don’t currently have the amount of time needed to get started on Facebook and Twitter, help your business out by at least signing up for accounts. There have been numerous instances of people pretending to be a business on Twitter, when in reality the business isn’t even aware that it’s there. It’s better to have your business name reserved, so when you are ready to start using both social networks, you are all set to go.
You never know what kind of a response you may get. If people are looking for you on a social network, they may follow you so they know when you do updates. It’s worth the 15 minutes to signup. Trust us!

What Else Should You Use?

Of course, social media doesn’t stop at Twitter and Facebook, there are thousands of other networks out there. Not only should you find your niche social network, but there are a few other networks you should consider joining.

1. LinkedIn - While it is considered a “professional” social network, LinkedIn can be a great place to drive new business. You never know who may be looking.
2. Yelp - The best part of Yelp is that it gives customers a place to give an honest opinion of your business. They can check-in, leave reviews and even print coupons if you have a deal running. The more interactive it becomes, the more it becomes a social network people are using.
3. Foursquare – While many consider it a social network for stalkers, Foursquare is a must for your business. You as a person do not need to use it, but there are a number of people who enjoy “checking in” to local businesses, stealing mayorships, finding tips, and getting deals.