Rash of Facebook 'likejacks' still flaring

Facebook attacks that force users to unwittingly endorse scam pages keep spreading, researchers say. When the exploits surfaced on Tuesday, they resulted in hundreds of thousands of users giving their thumbs up to links with titles including: "LOL This girl gets OWNED after a POLICE OFFICER reads her STATUS MESSAGE." Since then …

[Antony Riley]

likes this story.

"Until then, remember that the number of “Likes” an ad or other piece of content boast on Facebook is largely meaningless."

When aren't they largely meaningless?

[Lou Gosselin]

Duh?

"The attacks exploit a flaw present in virtually every browser that allows unscrupulous webmasters to control the links a visitor clicks on."

If one doesn't trust the webmaster of the page their viewing, why should they trust the links do what the webmaster claims they do?

I think a much bigger security problem stems from the fact that 3rd parties like google, through it's adsense and analytics programs, has access to modify entire pages, capture cookies and other information through it's client side javascripts.

I'm not sure if people who use those programs are ignorant, or just don't care that google has complete access?

[Elmer Phud]

visitors

Reading earlier about the number of people who look at porn or visit porn sites and considering the number of posters here who slag off Facebook at any opportunity, I wonder if those who aren't busy doing the 'holier than thou' act on Facebook users are off elsewhere getting pwned due to their habit of one-handed computer operation.

[jake]

Exactly.

"Until then, remember that the number of “Likes” an ad or other piece of content boast on Facebook is largely meaningless."

As are "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" here on ElReg, right?

[Rumcajz]

re: Exactly

I'd give this comment a thumbs up, but I agree with the comment that it is largely meaningless..

[guybles]

Re: Exactly

But of course the thumbs are important. How else will the Microsoft/Apple/Android zealots be able to carry out their respective quests to make the opposition look...well, more thumb-y?

After all, heaven forbid that El Reg forums contain measured discussion and debate.

[skellious]

meaningless

"Until then, remember that the number of “Likes” an ad or other piece of content boast on Facebook is largely meaningless. "

As opposed to the rest of the time, when it of course matters oh so much...

[Anonymous Coward]

I have noticed

many of my friends clicking Like on silly things. Even when I was playing "Petville" to help my friend, I noticed that there was this obsession with getting people to click on Like. I am sure these are ways to get people to just click on Like so then those who use Facebook become brainwashed that they click it on everything. I only choose like on what I actually like and think deserve to be liked. Even then I don't want to do it because to me there is something fishy.

This is another thing that annoys me about Facebook apps, they are hosted on third party websites! Why didn't Facebook provide a separate website for all the apps to be stored? When I was naïve, I used to allow applications to have access to my username and password. I am glad that I actually knew what that meant and since then I have removed many of the applications. Another thing about applications that I noticed is that suddenly many of them changed names and became dating applications!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Likes

"Until then, remember that the number of “Likes” an ad or other piece of content boast on Facebook is largely meaningless"

Indeed, it was largely meaningless before the clickjacking started and will continue to be largely meaningless after (if) clickjacking stops.

[Anonymous Coward]

Surprised....

This article was posted over 10 hours ago but as yet there doesn't seem to be a single "Facebook is Shit" or "All Facebook Users are Retarded" comment in this forum.

El Reg's commentards are slipping it would seem, where's the smug (yet mis-placed) superiority, where's the arrogance, where's the snobbery? I think we should be told....

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Beaker's Love Child

"where's the smug (yet mis-placed) superiority, where's the arrogance, where's the snobbery?"

Try looking in the mirror.

*high five*

[Anonymous Coward]

Here you Go

"Facebook is Shit"

"All Facebook Users are Retarded"

[mark?]

Ever heard about NoScript?

It block clickjacking and your also able to block facebooks "like"-buttons on non facebook sites.

[fireman sam]

RE: I have noticed

Then you're doing exactly what Facebook wants. They don't want you to click 'Like' indiscriminately. They want to build a profile of exactly what you like and don't like so they can sell more targeted ads. That's the theory anyway; with all the tat on Facebook I imagine the data will be mostly meaningless.

[Elmer Phud]

Ad's

Ad's ?

What ad's?

I don't see any - must be Adblock again ;-)

[Anonymous Coward]

Facebook?

Just say NO!