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New Facebook & MySpace Virus Infecting Campus Windows Computers

Be careful when clicking on video links in Facebook and MySpace! A new worm, Koobface, which spreads via these social networking sites, has infected a large number of Windows computers on campus. If you need help removing the worm, please contact the OIT Help Desk.

You may have received a message with a video link in your Facebook inbox or wall, or in a MySpace commentary. This link takes you to a Web page where you are asked to download the latest version of Flash. When you run the downloaded file, you'll see a picture of a court jester with his tongue out.The worm then downloads malware (known as BackDoor-AWQ.b trojan and Generic Backdoor trojan) to your computer.

To disinfect your computer:

  • If you are using a version of McAfee VirusScan you downloaded from OIT, you should be able to disinfect your computer by running a virus scan.
  • If you are using the consumer version of McAfee or another anti-virus application, you may not be able to clean off the worm, as it prevents antivirus software from downloading updates.Please contact the OIT Help Desk (545-9400) for help removing the worm from your computer.

Note: This worm only affects Windows users logged in as Administrator or Power User. Users logged in as restricted users will not be affected.

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