Google Used to Attack Facebook

Google's websites are currently used by attackers to prey on Facebook. Researchers at Fortinet, a unified threat management vendor, revealed that a malicious program comparable to the Koobface worm is using Google Reader and Picasa web sites to once again strike at the social networking site. Koobface worm is a malicious code that attacked Facebook last July.

With the new attack, cybercrooks are able to dupe users into downloading Trojan software by hosting images that resembles Youtube videos and Google sites.  Facebook managed to slowed the spread of Koobface worm in July, which prompted its writers to change strategies, according to Guillaume Lovet, Fortinet's senior research manager.

The links look safe as users just browse Google websites, but once they get to Google Reader or Picasa page, they are then prodded to click on a video or a web link. Subsequently, users are advised to download a special codec decompression software to view the video, which in reality is a  malicious Trojan Horse program. Facebook is currently collaborating with Google to resolve the issue.