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First a Bug, Now Hacking: Twitter Accounts Selling on Russian Cybercriminal Forum
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May 13, 2010

First a Bug, Now Hacking: Twitter Accounts Selling on Russian Cybercriminal Forum

By Kelly McGuire, TMCnet Editor


I always thought that Twitter was a vamped up form of a Facebook (News - Alert) status update. With such a small word count minimum, and lack of real features, I never understood why people would rather “tweet,” than just update their feed on Facebook.


And, with a goal of having the most “followers,” I feel Twitter users seems to be more interested in trying to be the coolest person in high school, rather than using the social media site for fun and networking.

Not to mention, after the recent Twitter bug which allowed users to make anyone follow them, I hated the thought of Twitter even more. And now, a new rumor about hacked Twitter accounts selling on Russian cybercriminal forums only adds to my discontent with the popular social media mogul.

Twitter was not immediately available for comment.

According to an article on Technology Review that reported a Russian security researcher said that the forums are offering 1,000 batches of Twitter accounts for less than $200.

Technology Review’s David Talbot reports that, in many cases, the buyers are conducting a lucrative trade by hawking phony antivirus products via tweets sent through these accounts.

“The technique of stealing account credentials and posting malicious links on Twitter is more and more popular,” and has surged in the past two months, said Costin Raiu, director of the global research and analysis group for the Moscow-based antivirus company Kaspersky Lab (News - Alert), adding that cybercriminals are recognizing that social networking sites can be abused very efficiently for their needs.

The scam could result in losing lots of trusted users that – since inception – have been using these social media site religiously, and evolving with the company as it grows and gains its popularity.

While Twitter has not released news on the rumor, the illegal Twitter trade is rumored to be ongoing, conducted on Russian-language, members-only cybercriminal forums.


Kelly McGuire is a TMCnet Web editor, covering CRM and workforce technologies, and anchor of its daily TMC Newsroom video broadcast. Kelly also writes about eco-friendly "green" technologies and smart grids, compiling TMCnet's weekly e-Newsletters on those topics, as well as the cable industry. To read more of Kelly's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Kelly McGuire


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