Cyber Criminals Targeting Twitter

2009-06-24

Sean-Paul Correll, threat researcher for Panda Labs, wrote in the company's blog that cyber criminals have been targeting Twitter users by creating thousands of messages embedded with words involving trending topics and malicious URL's.

Correll states, "Since the initial discovery, we have been keeping a close eye on this attack, but the malicious tweets continue. From June 2nd - 3rd we noticed over 3,000 of these malicious tweets." He then writes that the number is actually much larger since they only tracked the main abuse site and excluded shortened URL's from the initial search.

Some of the current most targeted phrases include:

- #iranelection

- Free

- Invites

- Miss California

- Girls

- Follow

- NBA Finals

- iPhone

- Fathers Day

- Fake Twitter Invites

- Wordpress 2

The blog also shows a visual of the data from the Twitter accounts that have been spreading malicious links. "At the moment, we have identified over 20 accounts and 1200+ tweets still targeting the trending topics on Twitter. The criminals are using various URL shortening services and the Twitter staff is making an effort to suspend the accounts, but as soon as they do, another account is created by cyber criminals" Correll writes.

Michael Fraser, director of the Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia was quoted by CNN as saying "The fundamental fact is cyber criminals are highly organized with sophisticated corporate structures and business chains. They have R&D departments, strong distribution networks and Web sites for the discerning cyber criminal."

The full blog entry by PandaLabs can be read here. More information about the dangers of the growing underground cyber-crime community and its effect on the world economy, can be found in this white paper: Cyber Criminality.