by Scott Lewis

Created on: December 15, 2008   Last Updated: February 19, 2012

Koobface is more than just an unimaginative anagram for Facebook. It is a Trojan horse computer worm that is currently causing trouble for users of the social networking sites Bebo, Blackplanet, Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, and MyYearbook with users of Facebook being the most affected so far according this post on ReadWriteWeb, a popular web technology news blog.

Computers that become infected with Koobface can be transformed without their owners' knowledge into spam-spouting zombies that try to form or join evil botnets, the purpose of which appears to be sending everybody on Earth spam for fake generic sildenafil from Freedonia. The worm also records personal data such as bank account numbers and passwords and sends them goodness knows where.

This article in the Washington Post explains that the worm propagates by tricking people into manually installing a copy of itself on their own computers by appearing to be a private message or email from a friend that contains a video link with a teaser appealing to one's inner ham such as, "You look so funny on our new video." People who click on the link are taken to a fake video site that prompts them to download the latest version of Flash in order to see the movie. However, the download actually contains the Koobface malware instead of the latest version of Flash.

As ugly as Koobface sounds, it can easily be avoided by taking the following simple steps:

• If you are prompted to download and install or upgrade any software in order to be able to view a video at a site you've never heard of, DON'T. Here is a link to the official Flash player site, where users on any platform can download the most up-to-date free version. Here is a link to VersionTracker, a very reputable site where one can find links to download all kinds of legitimate software.

• Discuss Koobface with your family and ask them not to download, install, or upgrade any new software without showing you what it is and discussing it first.

• Install and use antivirus and security software. Symantec and McAfee are two of the best known makers of security software for home computers and laptops.

If you or someone in your family already has downloaded and installed this worm, your best bet is to get professional help.

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