Sophos advises users to ignore 'Dislike' button status updates

August 17, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- IT security and control firm Sophos is advising Facebook users to be wary of the latest survey scam spreading virally across the network. There are a number of variations of this scam, which sees users unwillingly update their Facebook status encouraging others to get the 'official Dislike button'. The scam is spreading quickly as many Facebook users have been calling for the introduction of an official 'Dislike' feature which would allow them to express their opinions on other users' posts, links and updates.

Two versions of the scam have been discovered by Sophos, which involve the sharing of messages with the text:

"I just got the Dislike button, so now I can dislike all of your dumb posts lol!! LINK" and

"Get the official DISLIKE button NOW! - LINK"

The viral scam, similar to many recent survey scams, tricks users into giving a rogue Facebook applications permission to access their profile, silently posting and promoting the link that tricked the user in the first place and spreading the message virally. At this stage, the user still does not have access to the 'Dislike' feature and the application finally asks them to complete an online survey which makes money for the scammers.

"This bogus feature differs from recent scams as those behind it aren't preying on users' curiosity about shocking videos or celebrity scandals. This scam is actually posing as something that many Facebook users want," said Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at Sophos. "Facebook users should think carefully before they click on an unknown link in a friend's status update as these scams are becoming increasingly common. Giving away personal information in a survey and allowing an application access to your profile is extremely risky and Facebook users need to wise up to this rather than just clicking on links that they see, just because they appear to be from a trusted source."

Impacted users should delete references to the Dislike button from their wall, and remove the offending application from Account/Application Settings.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About Sophos

More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use, and that deliver the industry's lowest TCO. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs-a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, UK and Boston, US. More information is available at www.sophos.com

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