False Facebook Christmas Tree App Warning

A warning circulating on Facebook claims that the “Christmas Tree App” is a virus which will crash you computer. Is this warning true or false?

The warning is false and outdated.

Let’s first take a look at the warning which has circulated on Facebook for the past three years:

WARNING!!!!!! ….. Do not use the Christmas tree app. on Facebook. Please be advised it will crash your computer. Geek squad says its one of the WORST trojan-viruses there is and it is spreading quickly… Re-post and let your friends know ;-}

Geek Squad

When the warning initially circulated in 2010, The Geek Squad issued a response, in part stating, “In actuality, Geek Squad has not officially investigated this particular application, nor have we identified it as the source of any infections in any cases we have supported. However, that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s ok to use.”

Christmas Tree Apps

As of this writing, there are several Facebook apps with the name “Christmas Tree” in them. We tried a few of the more popular apps out, and while we didn’t find any viruses, some of them were rather spammy, such as posting “gifts” to friends’ walls.

Facebook Apps

One should always exercise caution when installing any Facebook app. As we have seen too many times, unscrupulous Facebook apps have caused all sorts of problems for users over the years.

Removing a Facebook App

You can remove a Facebook app by going into “Account Settings” and selecting “Apps” on the left side of the screen. Here you can simply click the “x” next to the app to remove it completely. It’s a good idea to revisit this page on occasion to get rid of unwanted or unused apps.

Bottom Line

There is no evidence that the Christmas Tree app warning described a real threat in 2010, much less in 2013. You should always be careful when installing Facebook apps, but we this warning appears to be false and outdated.

Sources

• Security Alert: Facebook Christmas Tree Application (Agent Mike S., The Geek Squad: November 22, 2010)