QUOTE
Twitter suffers malware spam outbreak
Links promising photos of users lead to the Blackhole exploit kit
By Cameron Scott
July 27, 2012 05:55 PM ET
IDG News Service - A widespread spam attack linking to malware has broken out on Twitter, according to the security firm Sophos.
The malicious tweets often read "It's you on photo?" or "It's about you?" The tweets and URLs often include a user's Twitter handle. Many of the links Sophos discovered have a .RU domain name.
"The attack itself is very simple, relying on people's natural curiosity about anything they think mentions them. Including the target's Twitter username in the link is an added hook to reel people in," Richard Wang, head of Sophos' U.S. labs, said in a statement.
"We're aware of the issue and we're working to resolve it," a Twitter spokesman said via email.
The links in the spammed tweets lead to a Trojan that ultimately redirects users to Russian websites containing the Blackhole exploit kit, Sophos said.
Whole article:
http://www.computerw...e_spam_outbreak
Links promising photos of users lead to the Blackhole exploit kit
By Cameron Scott
July 27, 2012 05:55 PM ET
IDG News Service - A widespread spam attack linking to malware has broken out on Twitter, according to the security firm Sophos.
The malicious tweets often read "It's you on photo?" or "It's about you?" The tweets and URLs often include a user's Twitter handle. Many of the links Sophos discovered have a .RU domain name.
"The attack itself is very simple, relying on people's natural curiosity about anything they think mentions them. Including the target's Twitter username in the link is an added hook to reel people in," Richard Wang, head of Sophos' U.S. labs, said in a statement.
"We're aware of the issue and we're working to resolve it," a Twitter spokesman said via email.
The links in the spammed tweets lead to a Trojan that ultimately redirects users to Russian websites containing the Blackhole exploit kit, Sophos said.
Whole article:
http://www.computerw...e_spam_outbreak
