NITDA Raises The Alarm Over New Malware Targeting Facebook Users In Nigeria

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has raised concern about the new malicious malware that is out to attack Facebook users in Nigeria.

The agency noted that the malware called ‘OV3R_Stealer’ emerged to target users on Facebook by spreading through deceptive job advertisements and fake accounts.

In an advisory released in Abuja on Monday, the Agency’s head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations, Hadiza Umar revealed that users become infected by clicking on the malicious advertisement link and the malware employs various execution methods to extract sensitive data from them.

She said: “When users click on the advertisement, they will be redirected to a malicious discord URL which executes the malware through a PowerShell script.

“The Powershell masquerades as a Windows Control Panel (CPL) file to download the malware payload from a GitHub repository.

“Ov3r_Stealer poses a significant risk by silently exfiltrating a wide range of personal and sensitive information including geo-location (based on IP), hardware info, passwords, cookies, credit card, among others.

“This data is subsequently transmitted to a telegram channel where it is possibly sold or used for phishing attacks.”

Giving a hint on measures that can prevent its possible attack, Mrs. Umar emphasized the need for users to always ensure that their software is always updated and avoid clicking on advertisement links, especially on social media platforms.

She also advised users to update their system antivirus regularly and stay updated on new and evolving threats.

Malware is a short form of malicious software that encompasses various viruses, adware, spyware, browser hijacking software, and fake security software.