ORLANDO, Fla.–(PRNewswire)–PandaLabs, Panda Security’s malware analysis and detection laboratory, has detected the massive propagation of a fake virus alert among Facebook users in the last 24 hours. According to the company, this is another attempt by cybercriminals to infect users with fake antivirus programs.
The fake warning is being distributed via email and users are forwarding it or publishing it on Facebook walls, further spreading the hoax. The text of the fake warning reads as follows:
ALERT >>>>> Has your facebook been running slow lately? Go to “Settings” and select “application settings”, change the dropdown box to “added to profile”. If you see one in there called “un named app” delete it… Its an internal spybot. Pass it on. about a minute ago….i checked and it was on mine.
There is no associated link, but if users search the Web for more information, they will encounter numerous malicious websites designed to download fake antiviruses.
The fake antivirus (or rogueware) used in this fake virus alert is called LivePcCare.
PandaLabs advises users against contributing to the propagation of this fake virus warning. In addition, consumers are urged to ensure their computers have the latest protection technologies and run frequent on-demand scans of their computers.