Yet another Facebook conundrum

[Nurvingiel]

My friend sent me and others a group message on Facebook that read "Adam got me started making money with this (extremely dodgy link)." (Sent from Facebook Mobile)

There are two parts to my problem:

1. Technical

Facebook mobile means she sent this from a phone. Can phones get viruses? I guess it's also a computer capable of running a web browser, so, yes?

Can I get her virus/malware/whatever by simply reading the message (I obviously didn't click the link)?

2. More importantly, etiquette

Should I tell her I think she has a virus? I don't want to sound all "you are an idiot and got a virus haaa".

I don't think she actually sent this for the following reasons:
a. I doubt she would send anyone spam, and this is definitely spam
b. Link is extremely cryptic and therefore dodgy
c. The biggest tip of the message's suspicious source is that everyone who received the message has a first name starting with the same letter. I don't know any of the other recipients.

My friend and I have numerous (32) mutual friends since we went to university together. Surely I would know one or two people in a mass mailing from her if she really sent it?

I like her but I don't know her really, really well. If I knew her really, really well I would have no trouble sending her a private message (not on her wall) to say, hey buddy I think you have a virus. I just don't want to offend her.

[Vegemite Girl]

I had the same situation with a friend recently. I sent her an email saying "hey, I got a FB post from you that looked odd, so I checked it out and apparently it's a virus that's doing the rounds on FB... here's a link to it"

Getting a virus like that isn't a failure on her part - these things happen. Just be matter of fact and give her a heads up.

[Lisbeth]

A lot of Facebook E-mails have gone out that have viruses in them.  If it looks wrong, it probably is.

But I agree with the PP-it probably wasn't malice or carelessness that caused this to happen.

[Bramble]

It also may not be strictly speaking a computer virus.  It may just be a malicious facebook app.

[Nurvingiel]

This wasn't an email, it was a private message. But I totally agree that she didn't do anything wrong by getting this virus.

I sent her a note to tell her about it, but before I saw your post Bramble. But if she knows something is wrong I bet she'll find out the source.

[artk2002]

This is the work of a hacker/virus.  Apparently, the chairman of the FCC got hacked as well.  Your friend is in good company.

[Nurvingiel]

This is the work of a hacker/virus.  Apparently, the chairman of the FCC got hacked as well.  Your friend is in good company.

Hahaha!! I'm going to send her this, she'll laugh.

[Frostblooded]

Sounds like it was an accident. The only time I'd ever fault anyone over this is if they could have avoided the situation and neglected to do so. That would be carelessness. If the main guy over there is being tormented by this, it sounds like it's not their fault.

[Morrigan]

I had a friend posting links on the wall and sending pm's that all led to a virus.  I just deleted all of them, including the wall posts.

[noexitwounds]

1. Unless you click a link, DL an attachment, install an app, etc., you cannot get a virus from a FB PM (nor regular email).

(1b. Phones can get viruses but don't typically because viruses are designed, generally speaking, to target a specific OS, hence why a virus that destroys Vista might do little to XP and nothing to Leopard. A phone virus, to be effective, would have to be intentionally targeting a company's OS for their phones.)

2. She might not even be the one with the virus. The actual technical stuff is complicated but basically if Alex gets infected with WormZerX virus (or whatever) and Jane is in Alex's address book then Kate can get an email "from" Jane like the one you saw, spoofing Jane's address. Alex's the one infected but the program now has Jane's address to use.

[baglady]

She might not even be the one with the virus. The actual technical stuff is complicated but basically if Alex gets infected with WormZerX virus (or whatever) and Jane is in Alex's address book then Kate can get an email "from" Jane like the one you saw, spoofing Jane's address. Alex's the one infected but the program now has Jane's address to use.

This has happened to me -- not having bogus messages sent out in my name (knock wood) but getting them in friends' names. I got one just recently (e-mail not FB message) "from" my landlords, who followed up with an e-mail (for real from them) explaining what had happened.

I don't think it's rude, in fact it's a kind gesture to give your friend a heads-up that these messages are going out under her name. As noexitwounds said, she may not be the one with the virus, so you're not pointing an accusatory "Unclean! Unclean!" finger at her. Just letting her know this has happened so she can take the appropriate steps to protect her system (and possibly clarify to friends that those messages did not come from her and they can rest assured she hasn't joined Dodgy Money-Making Cult).

[Nurvingiel]

I sent her a message that was basically, hey you might have a virus, there was a message sent out "from" you that said (dodgy stuff), happy new year. This was yesterday.

Even though all your posts have taught me a lot more, I decided not to bug her with another note unless she sends me one; maybe all the people that got this message are going to send her a note too.

Could this also indicate that a bot hacked her account? Is that possible on Facebook?

[artk2002]

I sent her a message that was basically, hey you might have a virus, there was a message sent out "from" you that said (dodgy stuff), happy new year. This was yesterday.

Even though all your posts have taught me a lot more, I decided not to bug her with another note unless she sends me one; maybe all the people that got this message are going to send her a note too.

Could this also indicate that a bot hacked her account? Is that possible on Facebook?

Facebook's security is, um, like a paupers shoes -- holey.  Badly (or maliciously) written applications can get hold of your friends list and do what they like.  Facebook encourages this with their new "privacy settings"  http://mashable.com/2009/12/10/facebook-privacy-experts/.

As we've said in other threads, never post something on FB that you wouldn't want the whole world to see -- even if you have your privacy settings at the tightest possible.

[Nurvingiel]

Heck, I never write anything anywhere on the internet, ever, that I wouldn't want the world to see.

Even in emails I never write something that would embarass me if it were accidentally forwarded to my boss or my parents.

I mean, I do write personal stuff sometimes, but I try not to put anything in writing that I wouldn't want to live forever. Because the internet is forever.