I received an email the other day that made me roll my eyes and hit the delete button, but it seems that there are far more people that received the same email as I did.
Basically, the email states that Facebook has reset your password and that you need to open a file to view the new password. If you did this, you seriously need to shut down your computer, get it professionally cleaned and change all your passwords on any type of account you logged into online, to include banks, email, Facebook/MySpace, etc. Likewise, if you open the attachment and used a credit card anytime afterwards, CANCEL the card immediately.
The attachment effectively installs several programs to turn your computer into a revolving door of non-privacy. It will spit out your username and password info, your credit card info, etc – all as you type it. It also looks for saved passwords and other juicy stuff saved on the computer.
This has been so widespread that CNN has a video up on it’s site detailing this exact situation.
Some important things to remember:
- If you didn’t know about an attachment before it came in, DON’T open it, even if it’s from a family member or friend.
- If some service such as a bank, Facebook, Google, etc. asks you to reply and verify account information, don’t.
- If any type of service says “Here’s your new password” and lists a link or file, don’t click it.
What to do if you get infected, by almost anything:
- Don’t panic, but rather, pay attention to what the screen says, make a quick mental note.
- Shut down the computer by holding down the power key. Yes, this is generally considered “bad”, but it’s quicker than messing with Control-Alt-Delete and attempting to “End Task” on anything nasty.
- Write down everything you can about the issue. What website you were on, what you clicked on, if you even clicked, what the screen said when you realized that you had an infection, etc. Stating “I have a virus” is far different than “I saw Antivirus 2010 install and say I was infected with 300 viruses then Pornography started popping up”. It really helps the next step…
- Contact your favorite computer repair company. Even it it’s not Protocol16, most repair companies should be able to resolve most virus issues these days. I would not recommend using Craigslist or other sites to find the cheapest person possible. Many times, you get what you pay for, and sometimes then, you pay for that person to do nothing. But, with the information you wrote down (remember the above example?), your computer repair company should be able to give you an estimate over the phone, or in person, on how long and how much it will cost to clean your computer.
Now the more information you provide about your infection to the computer repair company, the better the quote you’ll get on fixing the issue. Please keep in mind that some virus issues can take hours, others can take minutes to fix. There is also a difference between someone just “fixing” a problem as opposed to “fixing” and attempting to take preventative measures to lessen the possibility of future infections.
Personally, I adjust my level of protection to the individual. If you’re very comfortable with computers and this is your first issue and you know what you did wrong, I’ll probably only do a few things to your computer that you won’t even notice. If this is your 3rd visit to Protocol16 due to virus issues, we’re going to adjust a few things and take things to the next level.
I could continue writing on this topic all day, but I won’t. Stay safe on the net and, as always, if you have any questions, please let us know.
Justin
NOTE: Even after all the attention this situation is getting, the emails are still going out. Please be careful. I had this waiting in my mailbox Saturday morning:
Hey justin ,
Because of the measures taken to provide safety to our clients, your password has been changed.
You can find your new password in attached document.
Thanks,
The Facebook Team.