Facebook 'Color Change' malware is back, thousands of people affects around the globe

Attention all Facebook users: A malicious "color change" app has once again reared its ugly head on the social network, and it's already infected thousands of users.The nefarious app, dubbed Facebook Color Changer, claims to let you change the color of your Facebook profile—but it's actually a scam, according to Chinese Internet company Cheetah Mobile.

The malware begins by advertising an app that tells Facebook users they can change the colour theme of their profile. Download the app and you're directed to a malicious phishing site, according to Cheetah Mobile's security researchers.

The website targets users in two ways. First it steals the users' Facebook Access Tokens by asking them to view a colour changer tutorial video. Temporary access to the tokens allows hackers to connect to the user’s Facebook friends.

If a user doesn’t view this video, the site then tries to get them to download the malicious application. If a user is on a PC, the site leads them to download a pornographic video player. If the user is on an Android device, the site issues a warning saying the device has been infected and advises users to download a suggested app

This isn’t the Facebook color change scam’s first run. Previous versions of the scam were released in both 2012 and 2013. Despite this, the scam still gets users with the allure of changing the color of their profile theme.

As with all suspicious links on Facebook, this one if better left ignored. The social media website actually advises users to do just this on its security tips page.