The Facebook application "Fan Check" is not a virus, Facebook tells social media website Mashable.

Rumors have been circulating online that the application, which tells you who your top Facebook friends are based on how much they engage with your profile, spreads malware via Facebook.

Facebook confirmed that the application itself is not a virus, though it is rather buggy. Facebook has disabled some of Fan Check's functions because of this.

The problem with the Fan Check application is that misinformation is being spread through Facebook status updates, more than likely originating with the creators of the virus. Facebook users are using their status update to state that Fan Check is a virus and asking others to copy their status. The update more than likely says that the Fan Check "virus" takes 48 hours to kick in and to inform all your friends to delete it ASAP. This is leading people to search Google, where links to malware exist from sites that promise to "fix" the Fan Check virus. Many of these link install an actual virus onto the user's computer.

My advice, avoid searching for Facebook Fan Check and do not download a "fix" for the non-existent virus. Remove your status if it says that Facebook Fan Check is a virus so that your friends avoid clicking malicious malware links. Also, remove Facebook Fan Check or avoid installing it. There is no reason to install an application that Facebook believes to be buggy and already had issues with.