Rogue Facebook App Tricks 170,000 Users

Over 170,000 Facebook users were tricked during the past few days into giving a rogue application access to post on their walls. The lure came under the form of an allegedly shocking video regarding a texting incident.

Users who found themselves tricked by this scam had their wall automatically spammed with "I am shocked!!! I'm NEVER texting AGAIN since I found this out. Video here: http://bit.ly/a37TaB - Worldwide scandal!" Other people who were convinced by this message to click on the link were taken to a rogue application's page.

According to the new app authorization system deployed by Facebook platform-wide last week, the user is informed that the rogue application requests permission to their basic information, as well as posting on their wall. "The problem is that even though Facebook is warning users that they are giving the 'I will never text again after seeing this' application permission to post to their wall (as well as access their personal information) many people still go ahead and press 'allow'. Why should you ever have to grant an application such permissions in order to watch a video?" Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, writes.

The application's end game, except for propagating through spam, is directing users to an IQ testing scam. According to Roger Thompson, AVG's chief research officer, the IQ quiz is real, but its purpose is to get users to sign up for an IQ testing-related premium mobile service that costs $10/month.

Users who fell victim to this scam can go into their Application Settings and press the X at the end of the "I will NEVER text again after seeing this" application field to remove the app. Victims should not forget to clean-up their wall in order to protect their friends and family from being tricked. This can be done by clicking the "Remove" button that appears when selecting the rogue posts.

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