Teacher Attack Scam Spreading Virally on Facebook

Security researchers from Sophos warn that a scam is currently making the rounds on Facebook and tricks users with a fake video about a student beating his teacher.

"This student attacked his teacher and nearly killed him. OMG! You all have to see this! http://apps.facebook.com/student[censored]" the spam messages read.

As with most such scams, the link takes users to a rogue page where a Facebook application asks for extensive access to their profile and data.

One unusual aspect of this particular app is that it also wants permission to send messages to the email address associated with a victim's account.

"One can only assume that this will be for the purposes of sending spam or spreading more mischievous links," Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, notes.

Users who agree to give the rogue application access to their profile are taken to a page entitled "Student vs Teacher Fight", which tries to provide a little more background on the alleged incident.

"This is a video of a student fighting with his teacher after an argument in class. The student attacks his teacher and nearly beats him to death before being stopped by other students," a description reads.

This page also deviates from the regular pattern we've seen with similar scams before, and instructs users to recommend the application to five of their Facebook friends in order to view the video.

Mr. Cluley points out that there are several other similarly themed scams circulating on the social network at the moment.

One of them claims that it was a teacher who beat up a female student, while another variation even tries to undermine awareness raising efforts similar to ours by adding "(no surveys, no [expletive])" to the message.

"Remember if you've been hit by any attacks like this to remove all references to it from your profile (so it can't be shared further with your online friends), and check your Facebook applications settings to ensure any rogue applications have been removed," the Sophos security researcher, advises.

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