News: Facebook users hit by attack

IT SECURITY and data protection firm Sophos is warning Facebook users to be wary following a video attack on users designed to infect computers with adware. Thousands have been hit by the attack, which posts a fake video to profiles claiming to be the "sexiest video ever".

The malicious posts seemingly come from users' friends on Facebook, and are accompanied by what appears to be a movie thumbnail picture of a woman on an exercise bicycle wearing a short skirt. However, Sophos experts warn that clicking on the thumbnail picture doesn't play a video, but takes victims to a Facebook application that tells them they don't have the right player software installed, and tries to trick them into installing revenue-generating adware.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said: "You may want to watch a sexy video, but you're more likely to end up being plagued by pop-up advertising. Not only is adware being installed on your computer, but the rogue Facebook application is posting the same message to all of your friends' accounts."

Facebook users hit by the attack are advised not to click on the links or allow the Facebook application to run.

"If you fell victim to this attack, scan your computer with up-to-date anti-virus software, change your passwords, and review your Facebook application settings and remove whatever application was installed during this attack," said Mr Cluley. "Seventy per cent more Facebook users are reporting being attacked by malware via the site in the last year, and the problem only seems to be getting worse. Social networking users need to learn not to fall for simple but effective social engineering tricks like this in future."

More information about the attack, including images of the dangerous movie message, can be found on Graham Cluley's blog at http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2010/05/15/sexiest-video-facebook.

Newspapers Die?

I refer to an article in Todayonline.com (Top News // Weekend, March 14, 2009) :

"You’ve been warned:if newspapers Die ... Companies will see sales slump, citizens will make important decisions in the dark" http://www.todayonline.com/articles/307448.asp ( hopefully the link still work over time)

In my opinion, the writer was trying to bring out the point that Newspaper is still important to the society. Who can deny that?... The question is, is Newspaper refers to Paper or is Newspaper refers to News?

If the "Newspaper" company still don't get the answers right and do the right things, ..... it will be very difficult to progress..... progress is the willingness to leave something behind and to pick up something ahead...

History tells us what will be in the future because history repeats itself..... not something I made up but from great people of all times in every part of the world. Hence, in my understanding, News will not die and cannot die.......but Paper, which is only a form of material that holds the news can be facing some fierce competition. And I can say that Internet is the very direct competitor. And if so, history tells us that material we use changed over time, but Human characteristics, Basic Needs and the needs to have NEWS will still be needed.

To cut things short, my 2 cents for the Newspaper companies is to focus on the Distribution & Contents of the News and not the Material that contains it. Look at it in another angle. Don't resist technology like Internet because it is open and.... threatening to the old way of doing things and old business model..........

I am very sure that papers will exist for a very very very very very long time (you can see how I emphasized its existence duration). Over thousand years, we are still using woods, bamboos and canes....... think about it.

I do not have the answers for the Newspaper companies, (of course, if I have, I would not be here. Or even if I have, no one will believe me either :)), but if you look back a few hundred years ago, not everyone read newspaper..... BECAUSE NOT EVERY ONE IS LITERATE!

For those IT companies, don't be despair in your current endeavours too, BECAUSE NOT EVERY ONE IS TECHNOLOGY SAVVY! And the infrastructure is still in its infancy, if I would say. We are now living in a "transition" era.

But deep inside we know that there are always a better way of doing things. And over times, we will change and adapt..... again, the history tells me that..:)

Enjoy the following video :) Feel free to reach out to me to discuss and chat on topics about Internet and the Current World. Thanks.