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Facebook Clickjacking Attacks: Recognize and Avoid Them

 & Neil J. Rubenking Principal Writer, Security

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When you see a post on a Facebook friend's wall that seems out of character, don't be too quick to click. That post labeled "Pictures of girls in bikinis" or "All boys can stare at it but girls cannot" could be a clickjacking attack. This type of attack typically doesn't include a malicious payload, but it will definitely annoy any of your friends who fall for it. Here's how to avoid that scenario.

Usually the post itself uses a short phrase or sentence that's just a bit provocative. The point is to arouse your curiosity. If you do fall for the attack that's currently making the rounds you'll get a warning that the content may be inappropriate and a request to confirm that you're 18 or older, like this:

Facebook Clickjacking Attack Age Confirmation

Once you click the button to confirm your age you'll see another embedded dialog box. This one claims a need to prove that you're human, in order to avoid spam bots that are "putting an extra load on our servers." The box requests that you click numbered buttons in a certain order, like this:

Facebook Clickjacking Attack Numbered Buttons

Clicking those buttons doesn't prove you're human, except in the sense of "to err is human." By clicking the buttons you're actually posting the clickjacking attack in your own Facebook profile, thereby spreading it to all of your friends. If you encounter this attack, don't click the buttons. If you've already fallen for it, delete the post from your profile.

Symantec's free Norton Safe Web for Facebook did not detect the specific attack shown here. AVG's LinkScanner Online also gave the link a clean bill of health. Symantec representatives explained that Norton Safe Web "currently detects and warns users against links to phishing sites and those that distribute malware. Since [this link] … does not drop any malware or send users to malicious sites, Safe Web for Facebook won't show those links as unsafe. Scanning with Safe Web for Facebook every week and checking out suspicious links using LinkScanner will help keep you safe if these clickjacking attacks evolve into more virulent Facebook attacks.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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