Don’t be alarmed about and definitely do not share the following warning with your friends:

URGENT NOTICE! PLEASE READ MY FRIENDS! ALERT POLICE AUTHORITIES: At your computer and my, circulates this notice to your friends and family contacts! In the coming days be aware: do not open any message containing an attached file called “Windows Live Update” regardless of who you send. It is a virus that burns the whole hard drive. This virus comes from a known person who has your address list. This is why you should send this message to all your contacts. If you receive a message with the attachment “Windows Live Update”, even if sent by a friend, do not open it and immediately turns off your computer. This is the worst virus announced by CNN, and has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday. There is no possibility of repair for this type of virus. He simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk. Remember – you: if you send this information to your contacts, you will protect us all

This warning is completely false. No such threat has been reported by CNN, Microsoft, McAfee or anywhere else that we could find. This hoax appears to be based on the “Invitation Facebook / Olympic Torch” hoax that has been active for years.

Always take a moment to verify rumors and speculation – Don’t blindly copy and paste warnings just because a Facebook friend asks you to do so. People usually mean well, but it helps no one to willingly take part in viral Facebook hoaxes. If you see this on friend’s Wall, then let them know it isn’t true.

If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks community of over 220,000 fans on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.

Recommended Resources

SocialSafe helps you to create your library of you. It’s the safest place for your online life. Downloaded to your computer, auto organised and instantly searchable. Supports most major social networks.

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.