Free iPhone rogue applications run riot on Facebook, Sophos reports

Issued by Me Talk Pretty for Sophos South Africa

Johannesburg, 27 Oct 2010

Sophos is warning Facebook users about messages currently circulating on the social network claiming that friends have received free iPhones. These messages, which have been spreading widely since Sunday, invite others to participate in the scheme.

However, the messages are being sent by rogue applications that users have allowed to access their profiles and post messages to their walls.

Messages appear as status updates and many read:

"Just testing Facebook for iPhone out: P Received my free iPhone today, so happy lol... If anyone else wants one go here: <LINK>"

Or:

"Anyone want my old phone? Claimed my free iPhone today, so happy lol... If anyone else wants one go here: <LINK>"

Facebook users who click on the link advertised by their friends are then asked if they want to "Allow" this application to access their basic information. Participants who allow this are then redirected to a Web page that will earn commission for the spammers behind the scam.

"Users shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a new iPhone, but need to learn to think before they 'like' and 'share' suspicious pages on Facebook. Just because something appears on a friend's wall, doesn't mean that it is from a reliable source. By giving unknown applications access to your Facebook page, you could unknowingly continue to help to spread scams and earn cash for the spammers," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa.

Users should delete references to the free iPhone scam from their wall, and remove the offending application from Account/Application Settings.

Sophos South Africa

NetXactics, trading as Sophos South Africa, is a South African-based company focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the Master Distributor for UK-based Sophos, one of the leaders in the provision of network access control and endpoint, e-mail and Web security and control solutions for the corporate environment. For more information, visit Sophos South Africa at http://www.sophos.co.za.

Sophos

Sophos enables enterprises worldwide to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Our network access control, endpoint, Web and e-mail solutions simplify security to provide integrated defences against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, we protect over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with our reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognised for our high level of customer satisfaction, we have an enviable history of industry awards, reviews and certifications. Sophos is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Oxford, UK.

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