News - Security Issues

Spammers cashing in on Twitter, Iran, new iPhone

As use of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook has grown, so has their abuse. Spammers have been taking advantage of hot stories in the news, and in the past day they've been flooding Twitter with phoney messages about Iran and the latest iPhone 3.0 operating system.

In one campaign, the spammers apparently took their lead from a Mobile Crunch article about 20 things to check out in iPhone 3.0. They've set up fake Twitter accounts and posted Twitter messages that link to a Web site promoting male enhancement products. The Twitter messages say things like "iPhone OS 3.0 Just Launched. Here are 20 Things To Do With It," and are also being posted by some legitimate (and presumably hacked) Twitter accounts as well.

Spammers are also trying to cash in on the interest in the disputed Iranian election, posting messages such as "Mousavi trend? omg stephen colbert hit a woman.earned $2,612 thanks to this to this." Mir Hossein Mousavi is the reformist politician whose defeat in last week's Iranian presidential contest has sparked mass protests.