On Facebook, some scams are so alluring that they seem to live forever.
So it goes with "Facebook Color Changer," a new malware attack that masquerades as a way to change the appearance of Facebook's Website. Security firm Cheetah Mobile claims that the latest scam has affected more than 10,000 people around the world.
According to Cheetah Mobile, the app advertises the ability to "select your favourite color scheme for facebook layout," and appears to direct users to "apps.facebook.com/themsandcolors." But instead, the app sends users to a phishing site.
Once there, the site asks users to view a tutorial video. Launching the video supposedly provides temporary access to the user's Access Tokens, letting the malicious site connect to the user's Facebook friends. If the user doesn't view the video, the site then attempts to download a pornographic video player on PCs or a bogus malware scanner on Android devices.
Cheetah Mobile blames a "a vulnerability that lives in Facebook's app page itself, allowing hackers to implant viruses and malicious code into Facebook-based applications directs users to phishing sites."
As Mashable points out, color-changing capabilities have been a popular hook for Facebook malware peddlers in the past. At least two previousscams have gained traction by inviting users to switch the color of Facebook's blue menu bar. The color changer joins a number of other recurring scams that pose as oft-requested features, including the fabled "dislike" button and ability to see who viewed your profile.
There is a legitimate way to change the color of Facebook's menu bar, using an extension in the Chrome Web Store, but in general it's best to treat these "feature enhancements" with extreme caution. Just because a friend posts a link your feed doesn't mean it's safe to click.