By Wailin Wong | Users
of Twitter reported a new phishing scheme during the weekend, in which
private messages sent via the microblogging service tried to get their
user names and passwords.
Twitter is a mostly public platform, with updates visible to the entire
Web. But members that “follow” each other, or sign up to receive each
other’s posts in their feeds, can correspond privately with a feature
called direct messages. The new phishing scheme sends a direct message
asking “You’re on here?” and a link to a suspicious Web site.
Mashable, a blog covering social media, advised readers: “If you get such a message on Twitter, do not click the link or enter your login details on the landing page. If you find you’re sending out these DMs to friends, change your Twitter password.”
The popularity of social media sites has also made them attractive targets for scams and malicious software. Last month, Twitter introduced a new URL shortener aimed at protecting users from suspicious sites, such as those that resemble a log-in page and ask for passwords.
URL shortening services take a long URL and create a much shorter, cleaner-looking Web address that can more easily fit into Twitter’s 140-character limit.
Twitter’s new shortener is http://twt.tl. The site checks links contained in direct messages against a database of potentially malicious sites. If there’s a match, the user will see a warning screen when the link is clicked.
this does not effect me 1 bit! ya wannna know why?
I am not a twitter user.
Why do people need to “follow” ……anybody.
And “become our fan” on Twitter. Twitter schmitter…..what bull-sh.. I’ve got people coming out of the friggin’ woodwork I haven’t seen or heard from in 20 years…..and I have no need to hear from them now! It’s an invasion of one’s privacy.
I’m sick of e-mail telling me to “click” here and be my friend on Twitter. Click this…..
That’s good, Sue. No one cares.
A fella escapes from jail where he has been more than 10 years. He breaks into some house looking for cash and weapons and finds a young couple in bed.
I hate the phishing emails these people seem to get more desperate by the day I get 2 or 3 on a daily basis and submit them to phishtrackers a web site I discovered that lets you report them anonymously.
Most insurance companies’ websites are secure. It’s the local or small insurance co that dont have secure websites and bind coverage for small periods of time. As far as online quotes are concerned if you dont provide a VIN # at the time of quoting, the quote is pretty much a “ball park” figure. Without the VIN, the quote will rate the vehicle as far as statistics are concerned and you as the principal operator. Of course there are MANY factors that come into play when rating is taken into consideration on an auto policy.