Who hasn't been tempted to click on an enticing video
posted to a friend's Facebook wall, along with an eye-
catching tagline such as, "WOW YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE
THIS"? The allure is undeniable, but often, these
video clips are actually "likejacking" attacks, where
clicking will result in users "liking" the video and
posting it to their own wall. Worse than being
embarrassing and annoying, likejacking could even be
used by cyberscammers to infect PCs or steal
WHAT/WHY: identities.
The volume of likejacking attacks varies from day to
day. Based on Norton's analysis of a sample of 3.5
million posts with videos on August 2, up to 15
percent of unique posts were identified as likejacking
attacks.
Norton Safe Web for Facebook: Norton Safe Web for
Facebook is a free application that scans news feeds
and identifies URLs containing security risks, such as
phishing sites, malicious downloads and links to
unsafe external sites. To protect against
likejacking, Norton Safe Web for Facebook now
identifies URLs or videos that are likejacking
attacks, based on Norton's analysis of millions of
posts. Each time Norton Safe Web for Facebook scans
the news feed, likejacking detections are displayed as
part of the scan report and posted to the user's wall
so their friends are warned against clicking on the
link.
Norton Cybercrime Index: In addition to protecting
Facebook users from likejacking scams and malicious
websites, Norton is helping to educate people about
online threats with the Norton Cybercrime Index, now
accessible on the Norton Facebook page. The Norton
Cybercrime Index is a free tool that measures and
warns people about daily cybercrime risks around the
world. The Norton Cybercrime Index's number changes
daily to indicate the day's threat level, based on an
algorithm that calculates data from multiple sources.
It also includes commentary on each day's threats and
advice for staying safe online. Fans of Norton's
Facebook page can share useful information about
cybercrime and the tool itself with friends, helping
them protect against ever-evolving Internet threats.
Norton Internet Safety Advocate Marian Merritt is on
hand to share information about likejacking and tips
EXPERTS: for staying safe on social networks.
WHEN: Interviews with Norton experts available upon request.
SOURCE Norton by Symantec
Norton by Symantec
CONTACT: Corina Chapman of Edelman for Norton, +1-415-229-7655, Corina.Chapman@Edelman.com