Major computer security company AVG has identified new social network application threats from what’s become known as Political Hacktivists.

And these Political Hacktivists are becoming a major threat to social networking websites like Facebook.

For those unsure of the term, Political Hacktivists are those that use non-violent use of legal, or indeed illegal digital tools to make a political statement. For example, the research team at AVG spotted that a number of Facebook accounts has apparently been targeted by Turkish hackers. Their actions appeared to be in revenge for the recent ship seizure as people tried to break the Gaza blockade, but were stopped by the Israeli military.

The Political Hacktivists use a number of techniques and tactics to make their point. These include virtual sabotage, website defacements, re-directs, information theft, virtual sit-ins, website parodies and denial-of-service attacks.

Roger Thompson, AVG Chief Research Officer. said:
“The number of hacked accounts is fairly small, so far lass than fifty, which would indicate that it is not an automated attack, but the number is still increasing, albeit slowly. This is the first time, as far as I am aware, that Facebook has been a victim of political hacktivism.

“Given that the attack seems to be being run by Turkish hackers, and that Turkish hackers had once claimed a world record for defacing 37k pages in a single day, we should not discount the thought that they might find an automated way to move, and we should be extra vigilant with what we click. Think before you link.”

AVG state that Facebook has had a number of such attacks from Political Hacktivists and warns people to take care when accessing social networking websites.

AVG recommends to avoid such Political Hacktivists attacks, computer users should always practice safe surfing, which includes using a link scanner which helps identify, in real time, rogue links and other web-based threats.

And as always, users should ensure that their anti-virus software application is fully up-to-date.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Top computer security company AVG Technologies is warning people about rogue Facebook applications which are doing the rounds at the moment.

The rogue applications were said to be part of an aggressive and co-ordinated attack by hackers during the weekend of 15/16 May 2010.

In one period alone – from midnight to 9am on 15 Saturday – AVG spotted and dealt with 300,000.

Talking about the rogue Facebook applications Roger Thompson, AVG’s Chief Research Officer, said:
“This latest issue really underscores how powerful, while at the same time vulnerable, social networking applications are. This attack was actually stunning in terms of scale.

“Facebook is very responsive to threats when we identify them, and removing these applications as soon as they find them, but they’re still able to generate huge traffic, just because of the viral nature of social networks. It is staggering how many threats were propagated before they were stopped.

The rogue Facebook applications attack come wrapped in a time-honoured trap: a picture of a girl in a bikini which encourages the victim to innocently install an adware-supported viewer. The viewer is not viral in nature say AVG and it has been seen in various forms.

The rogue Facebook applications are coming in waves, with AVG saying that the peak before the weekend in question was about 80,000 and then had died to around a few hundred by Friday 14 May. However, that quickly climbed to 200,000 as the weekend started and the attack mounted in ferocity.

To put the rogue Facebook applications attack in context, the second largest attack registered at the same time, some anti-spy software, lodged 24,000 detections.

As Mr Thompson from AVG added about the rogue Facebook applications:
“Interestingly, they launched it on a Saturday. I guess they figure we don’t watch on the weekend, but malcode researchers are all cut from the same cloth as Inspector Gadget… we’re always on duty.”

When it comes to such rogue Facebook applications, AVG warned that people should employ a link scanner which alerts you if a page, or link, is bad. Furthermore, if you have to install a viewer to watch, then walk away. This is a sign that things might not be as they seem. Never download viewers via a link.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

One of the biggest computer security companies has just announced that it has fortified its virus research labs to help, it says, fight worldwide cybercrime in its many guises.

In comes in industry veteran Yuval Ben-Itzhak and a number of other researchers in order to help AVG stay ahead of the game. Ben-Itzhak is appointed senior vice president of engineering and will help detecting trends and the latest techniques used by the cybercrime community.

AVG Virus Research Labs have the benefit of over 110 computers across the globe which form a network of feedback and, in effect, early warning stations. It leverages all the information gained to try and stay one step ahead of the cybercrime fraternity. This ability to detect trends in real-time has given AVG a great tool and one which is licensed by other software security companies. AVG also works alongside law enforcement agencies and executives in such fields as the financial services sector, to help spot the latest cybercrime ruses, including bank frauds, phishing emails and identity theft schemes.

Ben-Itzhak will lend his considerable knowledge and experience to the AVG effort and he was previously chief technology officer for one of the world’s leading computer security companies. As well as holding a number of patent applications and US patents himself, he is considered a keynote speaker for the media and at conferences.

Roger Thompson, Chief Research Officer, AVG Technologies, said:

“The AVG Virus Research Lab is the cornerstone of our operations, working at the front lines to hunt down the bad guys and protect our customers from their malicious schemes. Consumers, small businesses and law enforcement all rely upon AVG for security trends insights and specific remedies to halt exploits.”

And for those interested in the latest cybercrime trends, they can access the AVG site for more information.

Guest Article by Neil Camp