Social Worms Discovered: Facebook and MySpace Worms Take Over Your Computer

Networm.Win32.Koobface.b and Networm.Win32.Koobface.a spread via MySpace and Facebook.

Do you use MySpace or Facebook on a regular basis to network or socialize with friends, business partners and meet new people? Would you still use MySpace or Facebook if you knew it could lead to a worm infection that spreads to the people on your friends list? A recent discovery by Kaspersky Lab, a developer of internet threat management solutions, has identified that a new worm is spreading through MySpace and Facebook.

Identified: Networm.Win32.Koobface.b and Networm.Win32.Koobface.a worm infection!

The worm was recognized as Networm.Win32.Koobface.b and Networm.Win32.Koobface.a. The behavior of this worm infection basically turns the infected computer into a zombie to form botnets. This process allows the upload of other malicious modules onto the infected computer which may perform other malicious activities over the internet.

The dangerous part about a worm of this type is if you continue to use MySpace or Facebook while infected, it may send spam messages to the people on your friends list. Could you imagine what would happen in this case? You may end up losing friends because your account or profile is dishing out spam messages which can potentially infect the recipients of those messages.

How are people getting this worm?

It is known that this worm infection comes from messages that have a flash file attached. Once the flash file is opened it infects your machine with the worm (Networm.Win32.Koobface.b or Networm.Win32.Koobface.a). We suggest that you be cautious of messages with file attachments especially ones sent through the social networks MySpace and Facebook.