If you recently tried accessing the developer tools in your browser on Facebook you might have noticed a large notification in the console highlighted in red. Well, that's for a reason, if you haven seen that scam/spam yet let's tell you more about it.
Developer Tools are great for debugging websites and running scripts manually on a web page, it could be done on any website including Facebook. By writing a script, the author can make anything do with the site on Facebook they can use it for sending friend requests, making comments etc. anything that is possible. Because all that functions are controlled by JavaScript onsite.
Taking advantage of these awesome feature of a browser, some notorious spammers have wrote a script which auto-tags people and like pages associated with them on their statuses where they post instruction to use their code they wrote by claiming that the user will get a new theme for their Facebook, which would seem to work but what it does in the background will terrify you.
The code would send unwanted likes to the pages the spammers wants, it will auto-tag your friends in 100s of status automated by the script and much more as they might even get access to your account. The spam have got amazingly viral as people do really think it's going to work and try it without giving it a thought.
Developer Tools are great for debugging websites and running scripts manually on a web page, it could be done on any website including Facebook. By writing a script, the author can make anything do with the site on Facebook they can use it for sending friend requests, making comments etc. anything that is possible. Because all that functions are controlled by JavaScript onsite.
Taking advantage of these awesome feature of a browser, some notorious spammers have wrote a script which auto-tags people and like pages associated with them on their statuses where they post instruction to use their code they wrote by claiming that the user will get a new theme for their Facebook, which would seem to work but what it does in the background will terrify you.
The code would send unwanted likes to the pages the spammers wants, it will auto-tag your friends in 100s of status automated by the script and much more as they might even get access to your account. The spam have got amazingly viral as people do really think it's going to work and try it without giving it a thought.
How does it actually look ?
This is an example of well planned viral spam by some script kiddies originating probably from Indonesia.
The link they tell you to open contains the code which they ask you to run in the browser's console which then do what it is supposed to - screw you.
If you see any such things in the future don't let it make you look like a fool! Just block that person and you are good and safe.
Facebook Took An Action to Control it
By disabling developer tools temporarily. Developer Tools is a great tool for developers so they didn't disabled it permanently on their site, but it let's you choose what you want to do. And will also show you what could be the consequences of running scripts from Unknown sources.Not all scripts are dangerous, for example see my "How to Select All Friends at Once on FB" script, it just automatically selects your friends for inviting them in events etc. But you can clearly understand from this that code can do things that you don't expect to be automated.
Beware before you run scripts from third-party sources especially from these so-called lucrative offers. And even though the script seems fine to you make sure to see what others say about it, what's their opinion to get an idea about it.
It's all, be safe online :)
