Nice tip spotted in the BB comments for avoiding “Facebook malware” – In Firefox, install AdBlock plus, add these filters (above). Now you can browse the web without Facebook installing applications you don’t want or sharing information with sites you do not want information shared with, or at least only ones you choose. This will remove “Likes” on sites as well, but you can manually pick which sites are OK for Facebook features to be displayed on. It’s your browser, your time – on your display.
Update!: Facebook posted in the comments. If any makers have questions for them, this might be your chance!
I work for Facebook and would like to clarify that these applications were not malware, as the title of your post suggests. There was a bug that was showing applications on a user’s Application Settings page that the user hadn’t authorized. However, no information was shared with those applications, and the applications did not appear to anyone but the user. We fixed the bug shortly after it was discovered.
We’d appreciate it if you would update your post with this information. In the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us at press@facebook.com. Thanks.
Simon Axten
28 thoughts on “How-to: Avoid “Facebook malware””
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Make a file with this text:
[Adblock Plus 1.1]
||connect.facebook.net/
||facebook.com/connect/
||facebook.com/plugins/
||facebook.com/ajax/connect/
||facebook.com/connect.php/
||api.facebook.com/restserver.php
##img[src$=”facebook_icon.png”]
||fbcdn.net/connect$domain=~facebook.com|~fbcdn.net|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com
||fbcdn.net/rsrc.php$domain=~facebook.com|~fbcdn.net|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com
Don’t forget the header in the top line!
Now, open up firefox and the ABP preferences. Click on “Filters” -> “Import Filters…”
Select the file you just created.
When it asks, you probably want to say “Append” filter rules instead of replacing your current rules. The new anti-facebook-connect rules should be displayed in the filter rule lists!
I’ve never imported anything into ABP that I created myself before. Question: Can I delete the text file once I have imported it?
yes
@matthewbeckler – thanks!
Thanks phil and matthew!
This is a great tip.
It doesn’t look like the AdBlock Plus Extension has this level of customization (yet.) Anyone want to take a stab at Chrome version of this protection? Or am I missing the feature when I look at my options?
Phillip,
I work for Facebook and would like to clarify that these applications were not malware, as the title of your post suggests. There was a bug that was showing applications on a user’s Application Settings page that the user hadn’t authorized. However, no information was shared with those applications, and the applications did not appear to anyone but the user. We fixed the bug shortly after it was discovered.
We’d appreciate it if you would update your post with this information. In the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us at press@facebook.com. Thanks.
Simon Axten
Facebook
http://mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy/
Its more invasive than google analytics as far as tracking what you look at on the web back to a single place.
Should be in the default lists of adblock pro IMO.
get linux (see ubuntu)
Using or not using linux has nothing to do with this article.
but you should still use linux.
I’m sure that a world-wide well-known site like Facebook wouldn’t risk having malware and disappointing its users. But for everybody’s sake we should use a good [url=http://www.trustdownload.com/Antivirus-and-Spyware-Cleaners/Antivirus/Kaspersky-Internet-Security-7.0.html]antivirus system[/url] .
Facebook just said to all its users: Go to H#%& by allowing a known spammer unrestricted use of the personal data of all users. That ‘final election’ was a sham worthy of Egypt’s President Morsi! Of course the outcome was a foregone conclusion. facebook sticks its nose in all my yahoo posts, and does not allow posting to yahoo without facebook’s consent. That is SPYING of the first water.