Every day, purportedly more than 400 million people log in to the internationally popular website Facebook. Facebook, the social networking giant, allows its users to interact socially online. Members create a free account and are allowed to make a personalized webpage, known as a �wall� to its users. Members can post nearly anything to their walls, including photos, messages, and simple graphics. They can even embed videos and links.

As a Facebook user, you can browse the walls of other users and play online games through the site. You can also keep up with social media since many public figures also use Facebook. Social interactions are not simply limited to posting messages to walls either. Users can also send private messages and chat among other things. Revolutionary and convenient, Facebook is technology that either love or hate, depending on whom you ask. Critics seem to find Facebook too invasive and tend to view its enormous popularity as distasteful. Another complaint is one that is a genuine concern for both camps, those who adore Facebook and those who detest it � viruses.

It is possible for your computer to contract a virus through Facebook use. One of the more well-known viruses was one that was first circulated widely in 2008 called the �Koobface� virus. Years ago, this virus employed a popular trick, using eye catching message subjects to coerce users into clicking phony links.
More recently, the same virus uses the same ploy. Not the only virus to do so, Koobface will send you a link, either a private message via the Facebook site, or even post to your wall (depending on our privacy settings). The fake subject messages typically say something like, �Hey, here are those pictures you wanted,� or �You�ll never believe the pics of {this particular celebrity}! or �It was so nice to meet you the other night...� If you don�t recognize the sender, definitely don�t click the link, no matter how enticing the message seems.

Let�s say you just couldn�t resist and you clicked one of suspicious links. Now you have a Facebook virus � what can you do? The first and most important step is to change your password. Just like having an email account hacked, you need to change your Facebook account password to make certain that unauthorized access is prevented. If the link has been passed on to your contacts, make sure to warn your Facebook friends not to click on it. Next, check the apps, games, and other permissions that you allow and block any that are unfamiliar or suspect. Finally, be more cautious! The next time you decide to allow anyone or anything access to your Facebook account, make sure you examine and reexamine it.