Email scam targets Facebook users: Web security firm

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Email scam targets Facebook users: Web security firm

Wed Mar 17, 11:45 PM

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Computer hackers are targeting Facebook users with an email

scam that attempts to steal their passwords, Web security firm McAfee said.

McAfee said on Wednesday some users of the world's most popular social

networking site were receiving emails that appeared to be from Facebook

informing them their Facebook password had been reset and to click on an

attachment to retrieve it.

The security firm said the attachment is actually a " password stealer " that is

installed when a user clicks on it and can potentially access any username and

password combination on that computer, not Facebook-related information.

" This threat is potentially very dangerous considering that there are over 350

million Facebook users who could fall for this scam, " McAfee said in a

statement.

The subject line of the scam email reads: " Facebook Password Reset Confirmation!

Customer Support. "

McAfee advised anyone receiving the password-reset message to delete it and to

not open the attachment.

Because of its huge membership, Facebook is a frequent target of computer

hackers seeking to steal passwords.

In its 2010 Threat Predictions report released in December, McAfee said email

" was increasing in popularity as the preferred method for targeting attacks

against individual users, corporations and government institutions. "