Malware spreading fast via Facebook

It's only natural: When something gets popular, the criminals come sniffing around in short order.

As such, Facebook is quickly becoming a hotbed of activity for all kinds of malware and financial scams.

With 200 million registered users, Facebook represents an ocean of fish which are all accessible in one convenient place. It helps that many Facebook users are relatively unsophisticated at the web and especially the complex security issues surrounding it, and are thus more susceptible to attacks delivered via the social network.

Facebook says it's doing its part to fight the problem, but it can't monitor every bit that passes through its servers. Less than 1 percent of its users have been victimized over the last five years, it says. That sounds good, until you realize that could be up to 2 million people, hardly a drop in the bucket.

The exploits cover a wide range of technical and simplistic attacks. Everyday viruses and phishing come-ons are spread through messages and links to third-party websites. A virus by the name of Koobface is one of the site's most notorious and virulent attacks.

Then there are the attacks that attempt to take advantage of users through social engineering techniques. One popular method: Simply message someone's Facebook friends, explain that the person has been injured while traveling overseas, and needs money to get back home. Naturally, the messenger is more than happy to courier the funds if you can spare some cash.

With all its quizzes, games, and fuzzy exterior, Facebook feels mostly harmless, but these stories are a great reminder that security diligence is mandatory no matter where you go on the web. In fact, you need to be extra vigilant when you're on a third-party website, because antivirus and other security utilities are worthless at protecting you from a guy who tells you your college roommate broke her leg.