Facebook Christmas tree virus is just a trick

Security manufacturer Sophos said Facebook users can relax and stop warning each other about a virus with a Christmas tree theme, as this is all a hoax.

In recent days, thousands of Facebook users have been racing to " rescue " their friends by posting a warning about "one of the worst Trojans". But Sophos said it found no evidence that it was a malware application.

Sophos said the warning of this non-existent application seems to have spread faster than previous warnings about real threats.

" Users believe they are doing the right thing when sharing these warnings - but unfortunately they did not check the reality, " wrote technology consultant Graham Cluley of Sophos on the company's blog.

Cluley noted that, in the late 1980s, there was a true Christmas tree virus that infected many machines on IBM's intranet and other networks.