Beware: Rogue Facebook App Puts Users at Risk of ID Theft

A recent article by Martha Neil on the online ABA Journal reports on a danger to Facebook users from rouge applications that can steal personal information:

The Facebook social networking site soared in popularity after it began allowing users to customize their profiles with mini-applications put together by outside developers.

But the change also made it easier for those with nefarious intentions to install rogue applications, reports Agence France-Presse. And seemingly innocuous material posted on a profile, such as photos of pets or close relatives, can provide information useful to identity thieves, including likely code words that might be used to obtain an e-mail for a "forgotten" password.

Once entry has been gained into a Facebook user's account under the latest "Koobface" worm variation, it steals the cookie needed for access into other personal accounts, such as MySpace, the news agency writes.

To read the entire article and to catch up on all of the latest news in the legal community, go here.