If you use a Twitter account, be careful of the links that are being posted by the people you are following.
It has been reported that a new form of phishing has been prevalent recently at Twitter. While it is hard to determine how the attacks started, it is known that any compromised accounts would be a source of a new attack.
According to reports the phishing attacks are executed by posting a fake link through a Tweet. The Tweet post would simply ask a user to verify their identity on the supposed linked site, while others convey sexual innuendo in the hopes of getting a click out of the reader’s curiosity.
In any case, the fake link leads to a dummy website that looks a lot like an official Twitter page. This will then prompt users to post their user name and password. Once this is done, the attackers gain access to a user’s Twitter accounts and will be able to use the new account to attack other users online.
It’s a vicious cycle and many have already fallen victim to the attacks. So if you see Tweets from friends that contain suspicious links, be sure to inform them that their accounts have been compromised and that they should change their passwords.
Users who are known to use the same username and password for other accounts should be wary. While social networking accounts are in danger, there is even more damage to be done when credit card accounts and PayPal accounts are compromised. It is a common practice in the internet for people to use the same username and password on different accounts which makes the phishing attack truly dangerous to many people.
For more details and information about the phishing attacks on Twitter, go to the Telegraph UK.
Tags: Twitter