A flaw in Facebook Messenger could have allowed Cybercrime – ebizLatam PointCast

When we refer to everyday communications, let us say in a subtle way, we are married to our messaging applications. It is therefore worrying when researchers discovered security flaws in the main messaging tools. And that’s exactly what happened recently when researchers identified a point defect of the Facebook Messenger .

The defect could give an attacker unrestricted access to records conversation of the victim, which would allow it to modify, delete and create images, links and fraudulent texts. This defect could also be used to spread malware, ransomware and more and though the attack is limited because it only affects the Messenger app on Android devices, remains a sensitive issue.

In a simple manner, a attacker can modify the message history as part of a negative campaign, either falsely saying that the victim agreed to do something or blaming the victim of a crime he did not commit. Cybercriminals could also use this particular defect to propagate ransomware, eavesdrop business and more.

Facebook was notified of this defect long before it was announced on June 7 so so professional their equipment immediately fixed the vulnerability. So people should not worry about this vulnerability as long as your Facebook Messenger application is updated to the latest version.

However, this is a good reminder that we are always aware of what we say and do online at all times. After all, another vulnerability could be lurking just around the corner.

So what do you do to make sure not be a victim of such attacks in the future? You can take some measures:

• Do not respond to messages from unknown: is a very good advice for all aspects of life, but here you could be saved from a long fight identity fraud and malware infections. If someone you do not know is sending messages and links, even if it seems to be friendly, ignore
• Be careful when clicking. like many phishing attacks, attacks messaging have clear signs. Bad spelling, different wording, suspicious behavior and links to URL well known, but misspelled addresses are things you should be careful when checking messages. If something seems strange, leave the conversation
• Use full security. many attacks messaging, still have to go through security programs to infect a device, ie, consider having one installed. That’s why you should use a comprehensive security service like McAfee LiveSafe to analyze potentially problematic links and messages for threats.