Can I get a Virus from Opening a Facebook Message?

So we are talking about Facebook Messenger, a giant instant chat service offered by Facebook itself but a genuine concern among many users is “Can I get a virus from opening a Facebook message?”

This question itself shows the level of awareness about cyber-crime and cyber-security which is appreciable in the age of the internet.

It is not possible to keep your personal data safe from malicious attacks without adequate knowledge of cyber security.

We can’t trust any websites and social media platforms blindly and must be extra aware while using them.

Let’s discuss our concerns in detail.

Contents

Can I get a Virus from Opening a Facebook Message?

Yes, you can get a virus from opening a Facebook Message because hackers and spammers are using advanced tricks and codes to get into their target devices. The spammers inject the virus through links and attachments in the target device.

They basically send an attractive message containing links and attachments and as soon as the readers click the link or download the attachment, the virus gets injected into the device. Facebook Messenger is one of the popular ways to perform malicious activities.

Facebook allows anyone to message an unknown person even if he/ she is not your friend that’s why it is essential for users to stay aware of spam and phishing messages on Facebook Messenger.

How to avoid getting Virus from a Facebook Message?

It is just a matter of awareness. You can completely avoid getting a virus from Facebook messages.

You just need to follow the points given below

Never click any link in the Facebook Message coming from unknown users.
Avoid downloading any attachments in the message from unfamiliar users.
You can hide your profile and message option through setting options. This step will help you a lot with unknown messages.
If you are frequently receiving messages from unknown sources then raise an immediate complaint to Facebook Support.
If you already have clicked any suspicious link in the Facebook message then immediately scan your device with paid antivirus tools and change all your sensitive passwords from another device.
If you have downloaded any suspicious file from a Facebook message by mistake then delete that file and scan your device with paid antivirus tools.
Keep installed credible antivirus software on your device.
Keep your device firewall active while accessing any website on the internet.
Use a premium VPN service to ensure the external security of your device

Follow these points to keep your device ultra-secure in every scenario.

Other Mediums getting a Virus into your device

The Facebook message is one of the multiple mediums to get viruses into your device but the other mediums are also equally responsible for this to happen.

Spam and Illegitimate websites are responsible to infect a large number of devices with viruses.
Spam Whatsapp messages are just like a Facebook message from unknown users.
Spam Emails from well-known brands or unknown sources containing attachments and links are very frequently used methods to inject viruses into a device.
Web cache poisoning attack is an advanced trick to inject a virus.
Using ultra-advanced software like Pegasus, to inject a virus into a device. Pegasus is capable to inject a virus into any device through WhatsApp call.
You can easily identify a spam link from an unknown source and the identification are a) Shorted URL using a URL shortener b) They may look like branded links but will not be an exact match c) the URL may contain some numbers or alphabets rather than words.

How does a Virus affect your Device?

A virus is just a malicious code or software which can perform multiple activities as per its programming.

The different malicious activities performed by a virus are

It can damage the device processor and heavily affect the processing speed of the device.
It can corrupt legitimate files and make them unreadable.
Sometimes a virus is responsible for overheating problems in the device that also affects the battery life.
A virus may also be responsible for the multiple unknown files automatically created by it.
It can corrupt the drivers of the device which may cause the non-functionality of some features of the device.

Final Remarks

I hope now you have got your answer to the question “Can I get a virus from opening a Facebook message?” I also have explained the damage potential of a virus.

It is very much possible for a device to get a virus just by opening a Facebook message, Whatsapp message, and email.

A virus can also get into your device by accessing spam websites without strong antivirus.

There are a few methods to avoid getting a virus into your device and the methods are