How Socially Transmitted Malware Works

If you only use social media for keeping track of the activity of friends, family, and celebrities, then your experience is probably pretty safe, at least as far as your computer is concerned. But you would also be in the minority of social media users, because Social media has evolved from sharing details about your life to something that is far more dangerous: sharing links. Linking, and the subsequent clicking of these links, has changed the Internet landscape, and malware can now be spread more effectively through social media than it can be through email. Because of this, it is important to know what these STIs can do and how you can prevent them.

The Social Bait

Social media is built on trust. A friend list is made up of people you would trust with your personal information- where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, etc.

Trusting your contacts leads to you trusting the links that they post, and you may even click on them without thinking about it. This gives STIs the opportunity to infect you while you're trying to check out the latest Internet sensation (most likely, a cute cat video).

Tricks used by Hackers

There are a number of tricks that hackers use to get malware onto your computer, including:

1. Sending messages out about popular topics, such as celebrities or recent news stories, in order to get more views.

2. Adding malicious extensions to your browser that can hijack your social media accounts.

3. Making downloads appear to be from legitimate sources, such as fake updates for Flash.

4. Disabling your computer's antivirus and sending you to compromised websites.

5. Packaging malicious software with legitimate software and advertising it on social media as a special deal (also referred to as Adware).

How Malware Affects you

Once you've caught an STI, the most commonly attacked items are your user credentials. Password theft makes the news frequently, such as the recent attack by the Pony Botnet which resulted in the theft of two million credentials for sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Having a password stolen can be risky, especially for anyone who uses the same password in multiple places, such as online shopping sites or even work computers (of course, you shouldn't be reusing passwords at all, but more on that later). Attacks also frequently involve the installation of malware that can later be used to add your computer to the botnet that caused the attack, causing it to grow even more powerful. Botnets are also often used to generate online buzz for companies or individuals through social media posting, an activity known as ‘like farming.'

Treatment Plan

If you just came home to find your Twitter account sending out spam in a foreign language, or you see any other signs of having caught an STI, do the following immediately:

- Change the password of the affected account to one that is secure, more important, and unique. Do the same for any other accounts that use the same password.

- Visit the applications page of the social media site the account was on and revoke access privileges of any apps you don't recognize.

- Run virus and malware scans on your computer.

- Let your friends know that your account was compromised and that they should be careful about any strange messages they receive from you.

How to Practice Safe Surfing

Now that you know more about STIs, here are the best ways to prevent infection in the first place:

1. Always Use (Unique) Protection: The most important thing is to have every password be unique to the account it is associated with. This way, having one account breached won't cause all your other accounts to be vulnerable.

2. Make VD Stand for Virus Detection: All computers need to have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and kept updated.

3. Think Before You Click: If you see a friend post something that seems unusual for them (like your spelling-obsessed aunt's posts being filled with typos), don't click it!

4. Pass Information, Not Infection: Protect yourself by protecting your friends, who are the ones most likely to put you at risk of catching an STI. Make sure they know what social malware is and what they can do to prevent them.

Socially transmitted infections are getting more sophisticated every day. As a result, it is almost impossible to be 100% protected, unless you consider complete Internet abstinence a solution. However, if you practice safe surfing and use your common sense, you can greatly reduce your chances of getting infected by social media malware (and get back to watching those cat videos in peace).