Facebook Hit With Yet Another With Phishing Attack
The latest attack, which began Thursday, uses Facebook messages to prompt users to log onto fake Facebook pages and disclose their passwords and login information. The hackers then use that information to send more messages to collect information from even more Facebook accounts.
Ultimately the hackers want to mine personal data from Facebook profile pages that can be used for identity theft and targets for spam.
A New York Times story said Facebook was repairing damage from the attack by blocking links to new phishing sites, removing phony messages and resetting passwords for affected subscribers. A Reuters story said Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt declined to disclose how many accounts had been impacted by the attack.
The fake domains included www.151.im, www.121.im and www.123.im, Reuters reported.
The latest attack is similar to a malicious worm that plagued Facebook two weeks ago. In that incident, users were lured to fake Facebook Web sites where they were asked to submit login credentials.
Following that incident, Facebook said it would bolster its security infrastructure to prevent future attacks. Those plans included expanding the site's use of Internet fraud security vendor MarkMonitor. Facebook sends suspicious URLs to MarkMonitor, which are then added to browser blacklists. Facebook already uses MarkMonitor's AntiFraud Solutions to supplement its in-house security initiatives.