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What could I say to a less technically-savvy friend about how to prevent attacks and viruses from Facebook attacks?

I have seen many of my friends accounts posting spam due to their accounts being attacked.

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Some simple things to look out for:

  • Keep an eye on the address bar before posting material. If it says facebook.com or twitter.com, you'll sometimes (but not always) prevent it.

  • Upgrade your browser. Recent updates of Chrome, Safari, and IE have implemented methods to fight clickjacking. Once again, this isn't a sure way to prevent it. There are still many exploits that have yet to be fixed.

  • Install the NoScript addon if using Firefox. This also isn't a sure-proof way to stop clickjacking, but it does a pretty good job of preventing most attacks. However, installation and setup could be a hassle for a less-technical savvy internet user.

  • Watch the "mousedown" button effect. This is one of my own ideas, so I've never heard it being mentioned. I assume that during a clickjacking attack, the Tweet, Share, Post, etc. button will not change states — change from an "up" look to a "pushed down" look — when the mouse is pressed down. If the appearance doesn't change, simply move the mouse pointer away, release the mouse button, close the browser, and go back to the page. Who knows, this might save somebody.

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  • Nice suggestions - I think the last one is especially interesting, it would be great to test it somehow. Commented Jul 20, 2010 at 6:23

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