Malicious Software Poses as Video from a Facebook Friend

A piece of malicious software masquerading as a Facebook video is hijacking users’ Facebook accounts and Web browsers, according to independent Italian security researchers who have been investigating the situation.

The malware appears as a link in an e-mail or Facebook message telling people that they have been tagged in a Facebook post. When users go to Facebook and click the link, they are sent to a separate Web site and prompted to download a browser extension or plug-in to watch a video, said one of the researchers, Carlo De Micheli, in a telephone interview on Monday.