What is LikeJacking? (or "Like Jacking")
Social Media Fraud Can Make You Look Like An Endorser Of Questionable Sites
LikeJacking is a new way of fraudulently getting people to approve of Facebook pages or external websites by creating customized links and buttons. For example, you might think you’re clicking on a link to a news story or viral video, but instead you are clicking on an embedded link that actually adds your vote to a particular page that you really may have no desire to “Like.” Likejacking is essentially a form of social media fraud, and may also be called “LikeFraud” because your profile is essentially being used to endorse pages you may never have visited.
The link can be deployed with a variety of sources, including email and as an embedded link in other websites. For instance, you might see a link that says “click to continue” and in the process of getting to the next page, you are being likejacked so suddenly you’re endorsing a page you might never visit. There are also privacy implications, because you could be visiting some unusual sites and your click on the “next” button might add your vote to a page you wouldn’t admit to visiting.
What can I do if I’ve been likejacked? You probably want to edit your profile and remove the likejack from your news feed if you have one. Also, you can look out for new tools and plugins that may prevent likejacking by ensuring that you have to acknowledge that you like a particular site.
Notes and Special Information
Special note: This type of attack is difficult to avoid since so many people have Facebook signed in all the time. You may want to find alternate software in order to protect yourself.