UAE residents raise alarm over porn spam on Facebook

Porn spam has hit Facebook users anew as UAE residents reported a recent re-emergence of malicious tagging on their social media account. A porn spam attack happens when users get tagged on a suspicious post with a link that leads to hacking or phishing incidents. The clickbait is often a supposed porn video. “A random person left a comment on my timeline saying they sent me a link to a porn video. Thankfully, I was able to delete that comment right away,” a Dubai resident told Expatmedia.net. Another netizen, who did not want to be named, said she was extremely embarrassed that clients and colleagues saw the porn post on her Facebook profile. Pornography is banned in the UAE, which imposes up to Dh10 million in fine to anyone caught sharing or storing the illegal content online.

How to combat Facebook porn spam

Facebook’s security factor has been a worry for users since the social media giant allows apps to publish on their timeline and could be exploited by hackers. Another porn spam that has gone viral on Facebook is when people are tagged on an adult video screenshot posted on the network. Once the video link is clicked, it could install malicious plugins or apps. Experts said the malware could potentially take over a person’s computer or mobile phone operating system. So how do you secure yourself from porn spam attack and save yourself the embarrassment in front of your network of friends and family?

Here are six things you can do:

1. Enable Timeline Review from Timeline and Tagging settings, so that posts where someone tags you don’t go public in your timeline without your approval. 2. Do not authorize any unknown app to post on your behalf. 3. Always remove an app that seems suspicious. Visit Settings and click on Apps to check. 4. Check the permission of an App’s posting rights. Click Only Me to avoid porn spam attack 5. Never click on an unknown video that you have been tagged. 6. Don’t install a browser or app on your mobile that says your device is hacked or you need a plugin to play a video. ICA/Expat Media
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