The malware is spreading itself through the infected contacts. The new malware shows messages containing fake videos or memes to all of their recipients. The ultimate goal of the ongoing malware campaign is to track the browsing habits of its victims and display custom ads that generate revenue to the creators.

Beware of Windows/MacOS/Linux Malware Spreading Through Facebook Messenger

If you get a strange video on your Facebook Messenger app then don’t open it because it’s the result of a malware spreading campaign that is utilizing the platform to spread itself. The malware is spreading itself through the infected contacts. The new malware shows messages containing fake videos or memes to all of their recipients.

Image Source: Kaspersky Lab
Image Source: Kaspersky Lab

Hackers behind this ongoing malware campaign are clever enough to redirect victims to Google Doc page. The new page will already have victims picture, which is taken from your Facebook, making them less suspecting.

The landing page looks similar to YouTube, where victims get to see a playable video. However, if any user clicks on the fake video, they are again redirected to other websites which gather details about their operating system, browser and much more.

Image Source: Kaspersky Lab
Image Source: Kaspersky Lab

According to David Jacoby, a Kaspersky Lab security specialist who had analyzed the threat said that the attack is sophisticated and obscured to make detection difficult and reveals the work of professionals.

The ultimate goal of the ongoing malware campaign is to track the browsing habits of its victims and display custom ads that generate revenue to the creators. “The people behind this are most likely making a lot of money in ads and getting access to a lot of Facebook accounts,” warns Jacoby.

A Facebook spokesman said the company had several automated systems to help stop this type of harmful links and files on Facebook. As always in these cases, the best solution is to be careful of suspicious content, even from familiar contacts, and keep programs and security solutions up to date.

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