TheStar Online (June 17, 2009)
KUALA LUMPUR: Spammers are diversifying their reach to popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Network security company Symantec Corp said it has observed that Twitter, in particular, has become a target for phishing activities.
In these instances, it said, computer users are misled into logging into fake Twitter accounts or providing personal information and credit card details.
It also said spam attacks have leveraged on Twitter via two spam campaigns: Make Money Fast (MMF) and one that targets the Twitter dating site, Datetwit.
Symantec warned computer users to watch out for these e-mail headers; Twitter Guru Reveals All On Video; Use Twitter To Make Money; and Teenagers Are Playing Online And Making Grundles Of Money.
For Twitter, it said, the spammers creatively evade antispam filters by obfuscating e-mail messages with legitimate content.
According to Symantec, spammers continue to harvest e-mail messages and personal information by promoting a wide variety of products that include diabetes-related treatments.
The World Health Organisation has said that there are at least 170 million diabetic patients worldwide and that the number will double by 2030.
These diabetics, said Symantec, are potential targets for spammers taking advantage of those seeking cheaper treatments or medical products online.
Symantec said its State of Spam reports are a means of educating the public, as well as businesses, on the evolving challenges of keeping the Internet secure.
A full version of this report is available for download at
http://go.symantec.com/spam_report.
