Once you go hack, you’ll never go back: Facebook scheme wreaking havoc on digital reputation

Facebook identity thefts are nothing new. The social media site has been the vehicle for all sorts of fake links and bots in years past. But a new trick that could threaten your digital reputation is proving particularly insidious.

If you get a message to “Experience Facebook Black” sometime soon, you’d be advised to turn it down, unless you’re OK with your digital reputation being hijacked. This latest hack could spread malicious software without you or your Facebook friends even knowing until it’s too late.

The scam allegedly works by offering users the chance to change the color of the Facebook background to black – and then asks for users to respond to a series of questions by giving out information. Of course, the promised color conversion is a lie: play into the hands of this fraud and you’ll just wind up as a means of spreading it further, with your information used to make a dummy page to trick your connections.

It appears to be yet another example of an attack that exploits Javascript, and it has proven pervasive enough to get attention from Google, seeing as its browser Chrome can also be affected.

Social media exposure is a larger problem that demands the focus of big companies and anti-spyware professionals. But much of the prevention boils down to basic user habits. Specifically: don’t trust suspicious links, don’t click on something you don’t trust, and don’t sign up for apps that direct you to an outside source. Your information can make other people money, and if you’ve put it on the web, then it’s ripe for the taking. Making use of an online reputation consultant can help companies learn how to safeguard their personal data – before someone else paints it black.

John Sileo is an online reputation consultant and keynote speaker on identity, privacy and digital reputation protection. His clients included the Department of Defense, Pfizer, and Homeland Security. See his recent media appearances on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper and Fox Business.

Posted by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo in Digital Reputation & Trust and tagged digital reputation, online reputation consultant, social media exposure.