Malware steals 45,000 Facebook passwords

Security firm, Seculert has issued a warning stating that a malware, going by the name of Ramnit is out on a rampage, affecting several Facebook accounts, in

an official post on their website. The worm has been found to wreak havoc in accounts by stealing the login credentials of the users, based out of the U.K or France, specifically. This way, Ramnit has reportedly managed to steal some 45,000 passwords, so far. Ramnit has been around for some two years now, and first gained notoreity for stealing crucial banking details. 

“Ramnit Command & Control Server with Visible Facebook Accounts files”

Researchers with Seculert only recently discovered the latest iteration of this worm, which it believed was adept at stealing crucial Facebook details. The implications of losing one’s login credentials isn’t a secret. The miscreants, according to the official post plan on logging onto “victims’ Facebook accounts and to transmit malicious links to their friends, thereby magnifying the malware’s spread even further. In addition, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the fact that users tend to use the same password in various web-based services (Facebook, Gmail, Corporate SSL VPN, Outlook Web Access, etc.) to gain remote access to corporate networks.”

A pie-chart depicting just how effectively has this worm spread

Facebook, according to a BBC report has assured that they are investigating into the matter. Facebook has been constantly under the scanner for being so prone to malware attacks. However, users, on their part, too need to maintain vigilance and place necessary security settings on their profile to avoid such incidents, as far as possible.