Facebook[1] malware[3] refers to the different types of malicious software that specifically target Facebook users. This includes phishing attacks that have become more prevalent in the 2010s and the use of deceptive URLs designed to trick users. Notable incidents include the spread of the Dorkbot malware variant through Facebook’s chat service in 2013 and the Koobface worm that spread through Facebook and MySpace[4] in 2008. Facebook has responded to these threats by hiring grey hat[2] hackers, such as George Hotz, and initiating a Bug Bounty Program in 2011 that rewards those who report security[5] holes. The company has also disabled accounts linked to state-sponsored malware, such as those operated by North Koreans. Efforts are ongoing to specifically target users involved in malware attacks.
The social media platform and social networking service Facebook has been affected multiple times over its history by intentionally harmful software. Known as malware, these pose particular challenges both to users of the platform as well as to the personnel of the tech-company itself. Fighting the entities that create these is a topic of ongoing malware analysis.