A case of criminal irony: Tools built to help hackers break into Facebook accounts have been found hiding malware that infects the computers of the would-be criminals who download them.
The security firm Bitdefender detected three separate tools in the past two days, all of which promise fledgling Facebook fraudsters an easy and free way to steal people's passwords and gain access to their photos.
An endorsement (spreading on Facebook, of course) for the first tool, Facebook Account Hacker 3.6, reads, "Great!!! Try this Facebook Account Hacker 3.6, I already open my friend's Facebook Account. Download now hurry!!! I love this really working."
The two other tools, called FaceBook Hack version 4.3 and Private Facebook Photo Cracker promise similar results. However, while Facebook Account Hacker merely spreads itself with unwanted ads after the downloader completes a survey, the latter two take the notion of cybercrime an ironic step forward: When the hacking tools are downloaded, instead of arming the attacker with new hacking artillery, they actually drop Trojans onto his computer.
Bitdefender's anti-virus program was able to detect these downloadable files as malware, but people running out-of-date anti-virus software, or none at all, won't be as lucky.
Along with keeping your computer's operating system, browser and anti-virus software in top shape, it's also important to exercise some simple common sense when using the Web. Be wary of links, especially ones that come from shady sources.
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