Safego is a Facebook application created by software security manufacturer BitDefender. Safego scans social networking profiles for malicious code e-threats, spam and other vulnerabilities. http://www.facebook.com/Facecrooks#!/bitdefender.safego.

One staggering finding revealed by Safego statistics is that 20% of Facebook users are exposed to dangerous or malicious posts present in their newsfeed. BitDefender analyzed the user accounts of the 14,000 Facebook users who have installed the application. Granted, 14,000 is a small number for the study; however, also keep in mind that 20% of these security conscious individuals had infected newsfeeds. It stands to reason that the average Facebook user could have far more exposure to malicious items. Having the posts present in your feed doesn’t necessarily mean that your system is compromised or infected. The links present in the newsfeed posts must be clicked for the malware, hi-jacking or any other nefarious activity to take place.

According to Cnet, here are some interesting facts and figures gleaned from the study:

1. Over 60 percent of attacks come from third-party Facebook applications.
   • 21.5 percent – Claim to perform a feature or function currently not available on Facebook. For example, seeing who has deleted you as a friend, or seeing who has viewed your profile.
   • 15.4 percent – Lure victims by promising nonexistent bonus items in legitimate Facebook applications like Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.
   • 11.2 percent – Offer special Facebook enhancements like backgrounds or a dislike button
   • 7.1 percent – Offer new versions of popular gaming titles like World of Warcraft.
   • 5.4 percent – Claim to give away freebies like cell phones.
   • 1.3 percent – Offer users a way to watch movies for free online
2. 16 percent of malware viewed on Facebook entices the victims by promising some sort of shocking content. This content is usually viewable after the user completes a survey scam of some kind.

As you can see, the internet and Facebook, in particular, can be a very dangerous playground. Keep yourself informed and your system protected, so that you don’t fall victim to the plethora of cyber crooks out there.