Another Phishing Scam Targeting Twitter Users

Twitter is alerting its users that an online phishing scam is prowling the Internet, tricking visitors into giving away their passwords. Users of Twitter might find a message that says - the sender received 1,000 followers from Twittercut in just one day. The message displays a web-link as well.

But on clicking this virus-infected link, the user is led to a fake Twitter site that asks for password and login details. Subsequently, the message is sent to each of the user's friends. It connects the latter (friends) to a website for dating and the total number of displays ensues in monetary earnings.

Reportedly, the virus is exploiting the ongoing trend of accumulating Twitter followers so that their Twitter account particulars can be captured for malicious purposes

The virus is propagating very fast in many countries, including Canada, US, Brazil and Sweden. According to a blog, TechCrunch, the Twittercut is propagating much rapidly as compared to the recent swine flu endemic, which is evident from the sheer number of individuals getting duped via visits to this genuine Twitter page.

Nevertheless, the account, @twittercut, is no longer allowed to operate. It is believed that a huge 13,000 users were risked of accessing the Twittercut site although the exact number of victims divulging their user-IDs and passwords has not been known. Later, the @tweetcut account was also used to send additional copies of the fake message, but that account too disabled.

Twitter staff has been assisting users-turned-victims to regain hold of their Twitter accounts, the website's blog said in a message on May 27, 2009. The message further added that Twitter staff was currently doing a new password creation for accounts that might have been attacked.

It is evident that hackers are increasingly attacking social-networking websites to gather authorized user account information for delivering malware and spam. In recent days, there has been a swing of well-planned phishing attacks targeting Twitter, which resulted in victims and possibly monetary gains.

Experts are therefore suggesting people to neglect all messages which cite Twittercut and avoid feeding their account particulars on the related site.

Related article: Another Worm Using Bush’s Theme Creeps Into PCs

» SPAMfighter News - 5/30/2009