Hundreds of fake apps steal Facebook accounts
As reported since Meta Platforms, in total they have detected more than 400 mobile applications that are actually malicious and aim to steal Facebook accounts. What do these programs do? They seek to steal login information from the accounts of this social network. The problem is that they are applications that have received many downloads and it is believed that they have affected 1 million users or more.
These fake apps they were available in the official stores of both Google and Apple. Therefore, many people installed them thinking that it was something legitimate. The reality is that they were installing fake software, created solely for the purpose of scamming and stealing Facebook account passwords.
There are fake apps of all kinds. We can name games, photo editors, VPN services and many other programs. It has especially affected Android phones, since according to the report there are 355 applications for this operating system and at least 47 for iOS. You can see the full list of malware on GitHub.
You must bear in mind that not only by installing the application will they steal your Facebook account. Attackers are going to need you to concede permissions to login in the social network. If you haven’t done that, even if you have the program installed, they won’t be able to access your account and you won’t have any problems.
How to avoid these attacks
What can we do to avoid falling victim to this problem and having our Facebook account stolen? The most important thing is the common sense and don’t make mistakes. For example, never install apps outside of official sources. Although there is not 100% security, as is the case with what we have in this article, there is certainly less risk of having problems. You can always see Facebook logins and spot problems.
You should also always check what apps have you installed. You can see that its operation is adequate, that it does not ask for more permissions than necessary, search for information on the Internet with comments from other users… All this will help to avoid problems that affect Facebook.
Another important tip is to have security programs. A good antivirus can help detect threats and remove them if necessary. There are many options available, although you should always choose a good one that really protects you. In addition, having the mobile updated with the latest versions is very useful to improve security. In this way you can correct vulnerabilities that can be exploited by an intruder and steal passwords or sneak viruses.
