14 DAY TRIAL // In the past period, many cybercriminals have turned to direct messages (DMs) on Twitter in order to spread their malicious links. If last time they were relying on outrageous pictures, this time they’re leveraging horrible rumors.
The malicious messages users might encounter these days read something like this:
- Hey you hear about the gossip your mentioned in? it started some serious drama, it fired up a lot of people on [Link]; - A nasty rumor is spreading about you [Link]; - A terrible rumor is spreading about you [Link]; - You see this video of someone taping you? [Link] creep; - A horrible rumor is spreading about you [Link];
According to researchers from GFI Labs, the links point to a phishing website. The particular domain they have encountered has been flagged by web browsers as being malicious and it has been deactivated.
However, that doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the scheme. The cybercrooks can easily set up a new domain to serve their malicious purpose.
Be careful if you come across such links. Simply delete them from your DM inbox and warn your followers.
However, as GFI’s Jovi Umawing notes, if you want to warn your friends by showing them what the malicious messages look like, be sure not to copy the link as well, as some of your followers might be tempted to click on it.