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Malware Hijacks Social Media Accounts Via Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox Add-ons

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Chokkapan
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Social media aficionados, beware! The latest malware threat for you is here. Internet security software and network antivirus company, Trend Micro, has identified a threat lurking around social media sites targeting users of either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

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The threat, apparently, uses fake extensions for both browsers to infiltrate user systems and hijack social media accounts - specifically, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter accounts.

In order to lure users into installing these fake extensions, the malware employs several tactics on social media sites and get them install a fake video player update. In reality, this player update is a malicious file - detected as TROJ_FEBUSER.A - that installs a browser plugin depending on the browser currently being used, stated Trend Micro.

One earlier version it had spotted on Google Chrome, detected as JS_FEBUSER.A, identifies itself as Chrome Service Pack 5.0.0. In the case of Mozilla Firefox, the fake plugin is Mozilla Service Pack 5.0.

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Google Chrome has since flagged this particular plugin as malicious. An updated version of the plugin, detected as JS_FEBUSER.AB, is identified as F-Secure Security Pack 6.1.0 (for Google Chrome) and F-Secure Security Pack 6.1 (for Mozilla Firefox).

Once installed, it connects to a malicious URL to download a configuration file. It uses the details on that configuration file to hijack the user's social media accounts and perform the following actions, without any authorization from the user: Like pages, share posts, join a group, invite friends to a group, chat with friends, post comments and update status.

As a result, the attackers are able to hijack the accounts of the users and could, for example, use them to spread links to other malicious sites.

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