How to ensure your Facebook Business accounts are safe from malware attacks

Cybercriminals target Facebook Business accounts with malware disguised as archives. Bait in form of images/videos on common topics used to reduce suspicion. Malicious code scans shortcuts for Chromium-based browsers, installs extension to monitor tabs & steal info. Good internet hygiene & staying informed can reduce risk.

Facebook Business accounts are an integral part of a businesses’ social media presence, making them a high priority target for cybercriminals looking to hijack these accounts.

Cybercriminals use a version of malware from the Ducktail family to target company employees including individuals working in fairly senior positions, HRs, digital marketing, and social media marketing.

Cybercriminals send out malware archives to their potential victims. To reduce suspicion, the archives come with bait in the form of theme-based images and video files on a common topic.

The most recent such campaign was found using the names of big fashion industry players to send out archives containing photos of items of clothing as the bait, Kaspersky shared in a blog post.

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These archives contain executable files masked using PDF icons and very long file names, to avoid users recognising the EXE extension. File names are also carefully selected for relevance to ensure users are tempted to click on them.

Once users click on these disguised files, a malicious script is enabled on the target device. The script is designed to show contents of some PDF file embedded in the malware code. However, the real motive of the malicious code is to scan the shortcuts on the desktop, the Start menu, and the Quick Launch toolbar for Chromium based browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi.