Facebook Worm Attacks Firefox Users

LOS ANGELES — Firefox users visiting Facebook could be in for a nasty surprise as a mischievous worm may hijack their browser to spread links to porn sites — all without the user's knowledge.

In the attack, visitors to the popular social networking website might see an image of a thong-clad woman, posted on a friend's Facebook wall. When clicked, the visitor is sent to a web page that bears a button stating, "click this button."

Those who click that button activate the worm, which updates their user settings and posts the thong image and link to the user's wall, spreading the link virally.

According to a Facebook spokesperson, the company blocked links to the offending URL and is now removing the malicious links from user's walls.

"Overall, an extremely small percentage of users were affected," the spokesperson said. "As always, we're asking people not to click on suspicious links, even if they've been sent or posted by friends."

Security specialist Roger Thompson posted a demo of the attack on YouTube.

"[The photo link] advertises to all your friends that you went there, so it could get you in trouble with your spouse, family member or your employer if you're doing it at work," Thompson said, adding, "it seems an awfully good hack just to direct people to an adult website for very small gain."

The worm reportedly does not affect visitors using Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

New 'PROTECT Act' Would Make North Carolina Rules for Adult Sites Federal Law

Senator Mike Lee of Utah on Thursday introduced legislation that would impose strict new federal rules on adult sites and platforms, strongly echoing similar regulations imposed last year in North Carolina.

New Creator Platform 'UpTopModels.com' Launches

Producer Trey UTM has launched the new creator platform UpTopModels.com through MyMember.site.

Segpay Names Tom John CTO

Segpay has appointed Tom John as its new Chief Technology Officer.

JustFor.fans Launches Curated 'Tom of Finland' Section

JustFor.fans (JFF) has launched a curated section based on artist Tom of Finland's work, featuring creators inspired by it.

Dutch Police Raid Servers Hosting 'Motherless' Website

A Dutch National Police Corps cybercrime team on Tuesday conducted raids on hosting companies in three cities, seizing servers owned or used by controversial adult website Motherless, as part of an investigation into possible illegal content.

MyMember.site Rolls Out 'TantumPay' Solution

MyMember.site has debuted its TantumPay payment processing solution.

StreamPayments Joins ASACP as Corporate Sponsor

Payment service provider and consultancy firm StreamPayments has signed on as the latest corporate sponsor for Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

AdultHTML Introduces Custom AI Projects Development Service

AdultHTML has introduced its customizable AI projects development service.

Eporner Must Face Copyright Suit After Judge Affirms Jurisdiction

A U.S. district court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by adult website operators against tube site Eporner, even though Eporner is based outside the United States.

BranditScan Launches Public API, Affiliate Program

BranditScan has launched a public API and a new affiliate program enabling creator platforms to integrate the company’s anti-piracy services and earn recurring commissions.

Show More