African users of Facebook social networking app have been warned to beware of a new Malware that pose a threat to their privacy on the app. According to the anti-fraud firm, Evina, a certain malware uses javascript to retrieve the login credentials of Facebook users. The company confirms that social media users in Africa are amongst those who have been targeted.
This malware launches a browser that loads Facebook at the same time a mobile user is trying to open the platform – by displaying in the foreground; the user believes the fraudulent browser is legitimate. Malware and ransomware that targets hundreds of millions of mobile users worldwide can have devastating personal, productivity and financial consequences.
Warning users of the threat of this Malware, Evina’s CEO David Lotfi said that this new malware is particularly dangerous as it could effectively ruin your online and offline life by making off with the credentials of one of your most valued pieces of digital real estate. Adding that “worse still, it is embedded in a whole range of applications commonly available for app store download and these include everything from flashlight to wallpaper, pedometer, file manager and video maker apps.”
Internet-based fraud has become so pervasive that sometimes it seems as if everyone you meet has, at some time or another, been a victim of digital fraud.
“Fraudsters are everywhere and they are not confined to the DCB sector. Let’s remember once again that victims are not culprits. The app developer, the app store and all other legitimate players involved are simply innocent victims of fraudsters and their malware. Fortunately, firms like Evina exist to take the battle to the fraudsters themselves,” concludes Lotfi.