Facebook users are getting their data stolen by a fake YouTube link

Let’s face it, whenever we see a sexy photo or video pop up on our Facebook News Feed, we get curious, especially if the title is extremely engaging, but it looks like there has been a piece of malware making its rounds on Facebook. According to an online security firm, Bitdefender, it seems that there have been certain posts popping up on Facebook which you can see in the screenshot above. As you can see, the video looks pretty intriguing and most might click out of curiosity, but Bitdefender is warning users against doing that. Apparently it is a malware which they believe was developed in Albania and has been designed to look like a YouTube video. However when the link is clicked, it will lead them to websites that try to get them to install the malware under the pretense that it is an update for Adobe Flash.

Facebook users are being warned not to click on a link that looks like a video of a woman taking her clothes off on a webcam, as it could lead to them downloading a virus that will steal their personal data. Online security firm Bitdefender issued the warning about the malware, which it believes was developed in Albania. The link is designed to look like a YouTube video, but when clicked, leads them to sites that try to install the malicious software under the guise of an update to Adobe’s Flash software. “Scammers have created over 20,000 unique URLs that redirect victims to malicious websites and a fake alluring YouTube video, showing a woman taking her clothes off on a webcam,” said Bitdefender’s chief security strategist Catalin Cosoi. “The video seems to actually play for a couple of seconds to entice male users to click. Malware writers faked the number of views so the video seems to have been watched by over a million users.” The hackers are using shortened URLs from internet service bit.ly to mask the malicious website addresses, although Bitdefender says it has notified the company about the issue. Once installed, the Trojan.Agent.BDYV malware can work within browsers including Chrome and Firefox, tagging friends on Facebook and preventing infected users from deleting its posts from their timelines. It’s not the first virus to spread via Facebook. In May 2013, Bitdefender identified a new strain of the existing Dorkbot malware that was spreading through Facebook’s chat feature, and capable of spying on victims’ web browsing as well as stealing their personal details.