Like the predictable “tick-tock” of a clock, reports are coming in of an infection spreading rapidly through Facebook via a fake Flash Update. The “tick” in this case was the report last week of a zero-day Flash vulnerability, and the subsequent legitimate update of the Adobe Flash plug-in. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, cybercriminals have released the “tock” – a video on Facebook is tricking clickers into installing a set of malware that can take complete control of the victim’s computer. Over 100k have fallen for this scam which is only 2 days old as of this writing.
What this means for you:
If you see a warning pop up on your computer that software on your computer may be out of date, it may be legitimate, and it may not be. With Adobe Flash, it’s very easy to check by going to Adobe’s own Flash website http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html. Also be wary of the source of the update warning, such as that which comes from clicking on a dodgy link on Facebook or in an email. Doublecheck it against a legitimate source. Not sure what that source might be? Your trusted IT professional is only a quick call away. Spending five more minutes to vette that update warning is certainly worth avoiding a malware infection, right?
