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Facebook Hijacking Points To Social-Networking Holes
By Carl Weinschenk

November 10, 2009 2:19PM

The nontechnical hijacking of nearly 300 unadministered Facebook groups illustrates the security issues facing social-networking sites. Dave Amsler of Foreground Security said social-networking sites like Facebook have major security issues. Facebook said the takeover of the groups was not a hijacking and no confidential information was exposed.

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Don't Forget Koobface

That doesn't mean Facebook is home free. Ivan Macalintal, a researcher for Trend Micro, said he has been following Koobface, a worm that is unrelated to the Control Your Info situation. While Koobface is aimed at all social-networking sites, perhaps its name -- an anagram of Facebook -- reveals its true target.

It's impossible to say precisely what Koobface does, since it is a delivery mechanism. The actual payload it carries could do such things as steal information or install rouge antivirus programs.

The openness of social-networking sites is running headlong into the need to make sure the sites are safe. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. With social-networking sites, there are much bigger fish to fry," Amsler said. "Facebook, My Space and YouTube have not been performing for the users. There are major vulnerabilities found on those sites, to the point where anybody can have their information completely compromised."

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