Joy

[andrewducker]

I just got a facebook message saying "check areps.at".

Doing so would not be wise.  It seems that the malware authors are now using FB as a virus vector...

Comments

[guybles.livejournal.com]

A quick Google suggests that you would be hard-pressed to visit it, since the likes of Open DNS are already starting to block it.

However, if you did go, you'd be presented with a fake Facebook login page. Anyone who is tempted to enter their details probably deserves to be used for spam.

[andrewducker]

I have to say that I don't tend to go with the theory that people that don't understand their environment deserve to be assaulted.

[guybles.livejournal.com]

I know it's a slippery slope to the "they deserve it because they brought it on themselves" argument, but really: you log in to your Facebook, see a message that tells you check out a link, go straight through and then think you need to log in to Facebook again?

To paraphrase a discussion, a few weeks ago, I'm getting a little tired of people who just don't think about the things they see on the pretty, shiny screen in front of them.

[andrewducker]

Aaah. I got the link in a message from a friend, arriving in my email inbox. I clicked on it, read three other things, switched to my browser (having completely forgotten I had opened any links at all) and was presented with a facebook page at its login.

Luckily, my brain registered that the URL was wrong - but if it hadn't I would have assumed that I'd left facebook open as one of the 27 browser tabs I have open, and entered my login info.

[guybles.livejournal.com]

You might want to tell your friend that their account is now pwned. They should at least change their password, if they can (and possibly on any other online accounts they use, such as MSN, Amazon, eBay and so on, which are fairly likely to have the same password and identifying details as Facebook).

Whereas the likes of you and I are pretty sophisticated, the vast majority of computer users are monkey-see, monkey-do. They don't have 27 tabs, which they look through as they go along (usually because they haven't worked out how to use tabs). They just respond to whatever is thrown at them. You and I might take a second to pause before entering our details, just pausing slightly to be certain of what we're doing. There are too many other people who aren't, and their lack of responsibility is making the world a poorer place for everyone.

[andrewducker]

My friend knows.

My friend is an IT professional, who was away from his PC when it happened - and had been all day.

He's changed his passwords, etc.

And I agree that people should look both ways before walking down the street, in case of muggers, but I still don't blame them for getting mugged when it happens.

[davidcook.livejournal.com]

Actually I have had FB randomly log me out at (usually because I've had the FB tab open for a while) so I wouldn't be completely surprised to hit the login screen again. Hopefully I'd notice the change in URL, though ...