Norton Gives "Likejacking" Scams the Thumbs-Down

WHAT/WHY:

Who hasn't been tempted to click on an enticing video posted to a friend's Facebook wall, along with an eye-catching tagline such as, "WOW YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS"?  The allure is undeniable, but often, these video clips are actually "likejacking" attacks, where clicking will result in users "liking" the video and posting it to their own wall.  Worse than being embarrassing and annoying, likejacking could even be used by cyberscammers to infect PCs or steal identities.  

The volume of likejacking attacks varies from day to day.  Based on Norton's analysis of a sample of 3.5 million posts with videos on August 2, up to 15 percent of unique posts were identified as likejacking attacks.

Norton Safe Web for Facebook: Norton Safe Web for Facebook is a free application that scans news feeds and identifies URLs containing security risks, such as phishing sites, malicious downloads and links to unsafe external sites.  To protect against likejacking, Norton Safe Web for Facebook now identifies URLs or videos that are likejacking attacks, based on Norton's analysis of millions of posts.  Each time Norton Safe Web for Facebook scans the news feed, likejacking detections are displayed as part of the scan report and posted to the user's wall so their friends are warned against clicking on the link.

Norton Cybercrime Index: In addition to protecting Facebook users from likejacking scams and malicious websites, Norton is helping to educate people about online threats with the Norton Cybercrime Index, now accessible on the Norton Facebook page.  The Norton Cybercrime Index is a free tool that measures and warns people about daily cybercrime risks around the world. The Norton Cybercrime Index's number changes daily to indicate the day's threat level, based on an algorithm that calculates data from multiple sources.  It also includes commentary on each day's threats and advice for staying safe online.  Fans of Norton's Facebook page can share useful information about cybercrime and the tool itself with friends, helping them protect against ever-evolving Internet threats.

EXPERTS:

Norton Internet Safety Advocate Marian Merritt is on hand to share information about likejacking and tips for staying safe on social networks.  

WHEN:

Interviews with Norton experts available upon request.