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An Android app is posing as a great security threat for Facebook and Twitter users.

Like the Firefox add-on Firesheep, the Android app called FaceNiff allows anyone to hack social media accounts at public WiFi spots very easily.

Bartosz Ponurkiewicz, developer fo the FaceNiff app, says on his website that the app is for educational purposes only, and urges users not to install it if it is illegal in their country.

He says the app can be used to access Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Amazon. He also claims that the app also works on WiFi networks secured by WEP, WPA-Psk and Wpa2-PSK network protocols.

The app apparently works on rooted devices only, but rooting an Android phone doesn’t requires one to be like a rocket scientist.

But, like the Firefox’s Firesheep add-on, this Android app also apparently doesn’t work if social media is accessed with https secure protocol.

Facebook and Twitter users should know that by default the sites do not automatically use https browsing and users have to activate it themselves.

To activate HTTPSs browsing for Facebook, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Login to your Facebook Account. Click on Account Settings.

Step 2: Click on the ‘Account Security’ Option and then enable the HTTPS Browsing Options.

Using this app, hackers can easily collect personal information needed for identity theft. Hopefully, this will serve as a wake-up call to those who access the internet over unprotected networks, without using encryption protocols like HTTPS.

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