Jul 22, 2011 16:37 GMT  ·  By

Security experts from Sophos warn about a new wave of fake emails posing as official Twitter notifications and leading users to rogue pharmacy websites.

The spam emails bear a subject of "You have 2 direct message from Twitter Administration" and claim to come from the microblogging site.

The emails appear to be using Twitter's email template, with the classic logo and footer, however, it's an old design which should give the spam away.

The content reads "Twitter-er! You have 2 direct message from Twitter Administration [link]," but the link, which appears to point twitter.com, actually takes users to a rogue pharmacy website.

The site is part with the Canadian Family affiliate program that replaced the notorious Canadian Pharmacy one when SpamIt was closed down last year.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, notes that this is actually one of the least harmful destinations for a spammed link.

"As long as you don't actually buy any of the drugs on offer, this is probably the least harmful option. I'd prefer to visit an online store than have my Twitter password phished, or my computer infected with a Trojan horse," he writes.

This doesn't mean that rogue online pharmacies are not dangerous. Buying from such websites carries both health and fraud risks.

For one, the drugs sold have not passed the inspection of regulators and might contain dangerous substances in the wrong quantities. Also, using a credit card on a site operated by cyber criminals is obviously not a good idea and exposes the owner to financial fraud.

The practice of sending fake emails posing as official notifications from popular services or companies is an old trick that spammers have used for years. Unfortunately, its popularity means that it still manages to attract a lot of victims.

Users should always be wary of links received via email, even when they appear to originate from trusted sources. Using an up-to-date and capable antivirus program is also a must.