The New York Times has more than 510,000 followers on Twitter. And those half a million people must have wondered what the newspaper Twits were up to, suggesting they check out a saucy webcam…
Naturally, something had gone wrong – with the account targeted by hackers who used the account to send out their spam.
The Twitter account of ‘The Moment’ fashion blog, which has since been brought back under control, was used to post the following message:
“everyone visit [LINK REMOVED] for 100% FREE webcam girls/guys doing anything you ask them in the chat, I love it personally.”
“These accounts are a prime target for hackers, as if just a small percentage of followers click a link in a spam message then it will have been worth their while,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos.
“Users should be cautious when clicking on links in Tweets, particularly those that have been created with link shortening services, as they may find themselves redirected to offensive or malware infected websites.”
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