Thousands of Facebook users are warning each other about a Christmas Tree virus said to be spreading in the form of a rogue application on the social network.
The only problem with this warning? It’s utterly bogus.
Here’s a typical message being shared widely on Facebook:
WARNING!!!!!!…..DO NOT USE THE Christmas tree app. on Facebookplease be advised it will crash your computer. Geek squad says its oneof the WORST trojan-viruses there is and it is spreading quickly.Re-post and let your friends know. THANKS PLEASE REPOST!
Users believe they’re doing the right thing when they share warnings like this – but unfortunately they haven’t checked their facts. Although anyone could at any time create a rogue application with the name “Christmas Tree” of course, we’re not aware of any malware which uses this disguise.
Furthermore, since when was Geek Squad a reliable source for information about new malware? Wouldn’t you be more sensible to check…
Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.
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