If you use twitter

If you use the Twitter social networking site, you may have seen messages posted over the weekend announcing that an update for the popular TweetDeck client software was available. Whatever you do, don't click on the link and download the software. It is actually a fake update designed to steal your password (a so called Phishing attack). The message says something like “Critical tweetdeck update Bank Holiday”, and is sent from genuine Twitter accounts that have been compromised by hackers.

Twitter are in the process of resetting the passwords for the hacked accounts, and TweetDeck have issued a statement advising users to only download software updates from their official site. If you don't use Twitter you may think you have nothing to worry about, but this event illustrates two very important points: 1) that you should always use strong passwords for accounts on online services such as twitter, since weak passwords based on dictionary words can be easily cracked, and 2) that you should only ever download software updates from legitimate sources, such as the developers website

LeslieG wrote:If you use the Twitter social networking site, you may have seen messages posted over the weekend announcing that an update for the popular TweetDeck client software was available. Whatever you do, don't click on the link and download the software. It is actually a fake update designed to steal your password (a so called Phishing attack). The message says something like “Critical tweetdeck update Bank Holiday”, and is sent from genuine Twitter accounts that have been compromised by hackers.

Twitter are in the process of resetting the passwords for the hacked accounts, and TweetDeck have issued a statement advising users to only download software updates from their official site. If you don't use Twitter you may think you have nothing to worry about, but this event illustrates two very important points: 1) that you should always use strong passwords for accounts on online services such as twitter, since weak passwords based on dictionary words can be easily cracked, and 2) that you should only ever download software updates from legitimate sources, such as the developers website

Hi

Thanks Zeb, I don't use Twitter myself, but I'm sure lots of folk do.

I have a Twitter account... I am sure it is twitting away, I just don't recall my password. It's been several months since I attempted to sign in. Facebook, I log into once in a while just to glance and see what my brother is up to (he is working overseas in a dangerous part of the world). Don't care much for either of them... same with that thing before them "MySpace"... blah.