Facebook hackers using fake CNN links to spread malware

A "worrying number" of Facebook users are sharing a link to a malware-laden fake CNN news page reporting the US has attacked Iran and Saudi Arabia, security firm Sophos claims.

If users who follow the link then click to play what purports to be video coverage of the attack, they are prompted to update their Adobe Flash player with a popup window that looks very much like the real thing. Those who accept the prompt unwittingly install malware on their computers.

Within three hours of the scam's appearance, more than 60,000 users had followed a link to the spoofed CNN page, according to Sophos Senior Security Advisor Chester Wisniewski. Facebook removed that link, but others are still being shared.