2009-01-01
Abstract
Social networking site becomes the latest way for phishers to fool victims into parting with their personal details.
Copyright © 2009 Virus Bulletin
The new year has seen yet another new angle of attack for phishers as messaging via social networking site Twitter became the latest way for phishers to fool victims into parting with their personal details.
Twitter users have reported being sent phishing messages which invite the recipient to log onto Twitter to view a particular blog or page. Of course, the link in the message directs the user to a fake Twitter site from which the user’s login details are harvested.
The attackers have also been using the Twitter identities of their victims to launch a second wave of messages in which users are fooled into handing over more personal details such as mobile telephone numbers under the pretence of taking part in a prize draw. Security experts have speculated that the spammers may be earning a commission via affiliate links by directing traffic to these sites.
A warning has been added to the Twitter site, urging users to exercise caution when they reach what appear to be Twitter login pages. A blog entry about the incident also provides more detailed information about phishing.
