14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter is actively used by cybercriminals to post spam messages promoting the increase of followership for different platforms, using a popular hashtag that would increase their visibility to users.
The newly created #IfMyPhoneGotHacked hashtag is included in tweets promising services that would augment the follower count on Instagram and Twitter, according to Jovi Umawing from Malwarebytes.
The hashtag was probably created as a result of the recent compromise of the iCloud accounts belonging to female celebrities like Kate Upton, Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst or Victoria Justice.
Content showing them topless or completely unclad has been pulled from their Apple cloud space and leaked online, revealing flaws in the security practices used by the Cupertino company to protect user data.
The links included in the spammy posts lead to pages offering more followers, but in some cases, they also point to websites offering potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). According to Umawing, various files known to include third-party toolbars and to hijack browsers are provided in rotation.
Furthermore, the researcher said that during the analysis they observed that a download link “directed to a page pretending to be from a legitimate adult website.”
Users are advised to tread with care when clicking links in tweets related to hot topics.