Twitter’s Weekend Worm Woes: Accounts hacked and compromised
Twitter’s Weekend Worm Woes: Accounts hacked and compromised
Last time I discussed the awesome functionality and how, exactly, Twitter can work for you.
Well, over the weekend, a series of attacks on Twitter accounts kept programmers’ hands full.
At least two of these attacks have now been credited to a bored 17-year old that modified every profile page the worm came into contact with.
• The first attack compromised 90 accounts, the worm had been spread by 4 recently created accounts.
• The second attack compromised 100 accounts, with an estimated 10,000 tweets potentially spreading the worm.
• The third and final weekend attack was quickly quarantined and compromised accounts were secured.
So, who is the menace responsible for this worm attacking the bird fiasco?
17-year-old Michael Mooney, from Brooklyn, NY.
Mooney had the original intent of using the worm to link Twitter accounts to his rival site: stalkdaily.com.
This recent breach shows that it is possible for codes to be embedded into random profiles at large.
Since there was no spyware or malware downloaded on the computers of those who were infected, the worm was mostly a nuisance for users and programmers alike.
The lesson learned? Be careful who you follow on Twitter.
