Is your YouTube really YouTube?

Computer security specialists warn that hackers are using fake YouTube pages to trick people into opening their machines to diabolical software.

A deceptive YouTube attack evolving as it spreads on the Internet is part of a growing trend of hackers to prowl popular online social networking communities in which people trustingly share web links and mini-programs.

Hackers using the YouTube attack send people links to what are said to be must-see snippets at the Google-owned video-sharing website. The links, instead, connect to convincingly realistic replicas of YouTube pages and tell people that a software update is needed to view a requested video. Agreeing to the update lets the hacker install malicious software that could log keystrokes, steal data, or even take over people's computers.

Victims are not likely to catch onto the invasion since the hackers' software is able to stealthily link to the real YouTube website and play a promised video. While people may be wary of links or programs emailed to them by strangers, they eagerly open such offerings from "friends" in social networking communities.

Online evil doers can easily create false social networking profiles and even impersonate people who may be well known or respected. The imposter can then build a network of trusting contacts in online communities. Be wary of taking strangers in as friends at social networking websites and only install trusted applications when customizing profile pages with mini-programs, sometimes called "widgets".