Phishing menace hits blog spot Twitters as well
06 Jan 2009
Phishers, targeting the microblogging service Twitter, have started a widespread campaign tricking users, including celebrities, into submitting their personal details.
Phishers have even succeeded in at least temporarily locking out a number of Twitter users out of their accounts as phishing messages crowd the social messaging site.
The attackers usually use a message alerting users to a 'funny blog' to extract user name and password of the victims, which would then be used to send out direct messages on their behalf, tricking their followers.
Twitter, meanwhile, said it has reset users' passwords in some cases. "If you find yourself unable to log in to your account with your user name and password, please use the reset password link to regain access," Twitter said in a warning posted on the site.
The phisher menace, which started a few days ago following the Christmas break, has caught up on the Twitter mails of celebrities like Barack Obama, Britney Spears and Bill O'Reilly among others.
The company said it has found at least 33 Twitter accounts that had been "hacked," including those of CNN's Rick Sanchez and President-elect Barack Obama.