FACEBOOK VIRUS WARNING - MASSIVE CHILDREN CHARITY SCAM | RitroSoft.com | Always at your Services

FACEBOOK VIRUS WARNING - MASSIVE CHILDREN CHARITY SCAM

Cybercriminals have developed a custom piece of malware that injects itself into your Facebook session and prompts you to donate to a charity for sick children. The scammers' goal is to make off with your personal data, especially your credit card number. Security researchers have discovered a new variant of the Citadel malware that injects itself into your Facebook webpages and demands that you make a donation to a fake charity for sick children. Please be warned: there are no children charities that will ask you for a donation via Facebook. There are, however, individuals very interested in stealing your credit card number and other personal information (note: this is not the first time Facebook users are specifically being targeted, and it certainly won't be the last).

Once your computer is infected with the malware, it quickly adds itself into your Facebook session, as you can see above. After you log into your Facebook account, the Citadel injection mechanism displays a pop up that encourages you to donate $1 to children who "desperately" need humanitarian aid. Next, it asks you for your name, credit card number, expiration date, CVV, and security password.

This attack is a massive undertaking. The cybercriminals behind this scam are likely very well organized and have been pushing very hard to spread it on Facebook. If you've discovered that you are affected by this attack, use an antivirus program (such as Microsoft Security Essentials) to clean your system before using the social network again.

As a general word of caution, don't hand over any of your credentials via Facebook unless you are absolutely certain that it's coming from the social network. While there are some services that ask for your credit card, that will be on there official Facebook Page, not in a random popup spamming you to donate. If you want to warn Facebook about this scam, feel free to contact Facebook Security.

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