Beware: 'Woman Eaten by Shark' Facebook Scam Leads to Malware Attack

The Internet is like a vast ocean of predators that prey on the proverbial surfers that go about their day-to-day wave rides thinking nothing will attack them. Unfortunately, there are sharks thriving off of the blood of internet surfers who utilize the famous social network that we aptly know as Facebook.

Among those attacks are ones that claim to be something enticing, something that you will want to see. In the latest mist of Facebook scams, there is a new one making the rounds claiming to be a video clip of a woman getting eaten by a shark. That's right, just like you may succumb to being the latest victim surfing on the high seas of the internet, there is an offer on Facebook that is just too good to turn away from claiming to be a video that shows what a shark attack really looks like.

Facebook scams like this are nothing new. In fact, the latest "Woman Eaten by Shark" scam is nothing different from previous ones that offer other enticing videos to supposedly watch through a Facebook friend's link found on your news feed. The major difference in the latest "Woman Eaten by Shark" Facebook scam, is the malware that it leads to.

In the recent "Woman Eaten by Shark" scam on Facebook, use of the link leads computer users to a malicious program that hijacks your web browser applications and then shows malicious advertisements. This is a case where your internet security settings are at risk of being changed or reduced to the point that your system is vulnerable to online attacks.These malicious programs are usually referred to as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs).

Facebook has been on the forefront of combating these scams, but not fast enough to prevent on onset of initial attacks or computer users falling victim to the scam. The use of shocking videos is one of many ways scammers and hackers are utilizing the Facebook platform to lure computer users to clicking on such links, which will eventually infect their computer with malware.

The use of this type of Facebook scam is among the top five used on the social network giant. The popularity of this scheme has risen lately where security experts expect more appalling videos to be used for baiting computer users. Users of Facebook should take heed to the warnings given to avoid clicking on any and every news feed that seems tantalizing. Not all appealing offers on Facebook for watching videos or viewing something as crazy as a woman getting eaten by a shark for shear entertainment, most of it is propaganda or the beginning to utter destruction of your computer through malicious software being installed without your consent. Seriously, when was the last time someone was eaten by a shark and it was captured on video?