Sophos has warned users of the popular social networking site Facebook to think before passing on a virus warning that is rapidly spreading across the social network.
According to the company, many users are forwarding incorrect information, advising others to beware of a 'virus' that claims a girl killed herself over a post her father made on her Facebook wall.
The text of the warning reads as follows: “Warning: There is a virus going around again, if you see a girl who killed herself over something her father wrote on her wall do not open it, it is a virus and it will not allow you to delete it, please pass this on before someone opens it. (It is a self replicating Trojan)”
Sophos says the alerts are wrong, and Facebook users are inadvertently spreading the hoax in the mistaken belief that they are helping Facebook friends to avoid the threat from a virus infection that doesn't actually exist.
"The bogus warning about the virus is spreading faster and wider, and is probably more of a nuisance than a genuine malware outbreak," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos SA.
"The situation has been complicated by cyber criminals creating Facebook pages that pretend to offer pictures of the girl's Facebook wall, but are really designed to generate money by sending unsuspecting users to online surveys."
He says the site's members should always check the facts with a reputable source before sharing virus warnings and suchlike with their online friends. “Scares like this can cause users to panic unnecessarily, and may mean that the public takes genuine virus outbreaks less seriously."
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