While many of us use Twitter to catch the latest headlines or share our thoughts in 140 characters or less, we have to remember that cybercrooks use Twitter to spread spam and malware.One of the spam campaigns floating around the fast-paced social network is the ‘bad blog’ one, which tricks innocent Tweeters into clicking a malicious link by saying there's a bad blog going around about them:
“So I guess theres a bad blog going around about you, seen it? [insert link]”
The message is spread via direct messages or a public tweet, typically from hijacked Twitter accounts.
Of course, there is no bad blog post, and the link will likely just lead to a malware-laden website in hopes of exploiting the vulnerabilities of the victim’s PC.
In the few cases we’ve witnessed first-hand, it seems as though folks are able to regain control of their Twitter account once the message has been sent. The rightful owner is then stuck with the task of warning their followers not to click the link and apologizing to those who have.
If you happen to receive – or see – a Twitter post mentioning a “bad blog going around” about someone, be sure that you don’t click on it.
Happy Tweeting!
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet or “Like” us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the latest computer security threats.
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