A rogue application is a Facebook application developed by someone with fraudulent or deceitful intentions. The application often doesn’t perform its stated objectives. It is designed to obtain account information of the user, and it can be used to spread spam, scams or other malware to the friends of the infected account.
The best way to guard against rogue applications is to avoid any third-party Facebook applications entirely. If this approach is too extreme for you, there are some steps you can take to help protect your account.
1. Be very selective in the applications you install. Stick with applications from well known developers and software companies. If you are tempted to install a more obscure application, then research it thoroughly before doing so.
2. Double check the permissions you have granted to Facebook applications currently installed. Access your list of Facebook applications by clicking the down arrow in the top right corner and then select PRIVACY SETTINGS. (you will find this in the top right-hand corner of your Facebook page.) Scroll down until you see Apps & Websites.
Clicking on “Edit your settings” will produce the following page:
On this page, you can click the “Edit Settings” button to delete or modify permissions of existing Facebook applications.
If you want to get rid of an application entirely, you can click on the little “x” located on the far right. If there is an application you want to keep, you can click the “Edit” link to see what permissions are currently authorized. Clicking the link takes you to the following page:
Here you can see what Facebook data the application has access to, the last time it accessed it your data, and you can set privacy settings for the application in question. Notice there is also a “Remove app” link on this screen as well. If you find an app is too intrusive, then you can click this link to easily remove it from your account.
It is a good idea to check these settings from time to time. Application developers have been known to change required application permissions. Always be mindful of what data access a third party developer requests. Be especially suspicious of applications requesting the following:
- Complete and total access to your Facebook account – An app requesting too many permissions is a big warning sign.
- Access to Facebook Chat – You don’t want the app spamming malicious links via chat messages to your friends.
- The right to manage your Pages or Events – It is a common ploy for scammers to create bogus pages and events to spread their messages virally across Facebook.
Keep this information in mind the next time you think about installing a Facebook application! One rogue application can impact a large number of innocent users, and you don’t want the infection traced back to you!
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