Beware malicious festive tweets

SECURITY

Global IT vendor Panda Security warns that cyber-criminals are exploiting Twitter to spread malware in festive-themed messages.

Using methods akin to Black Hat SEO techniques, hackers are taking advantage of trending topics to position malware distribution campaigns.

Topics such as “ Advent calendar” , “ Hanukkah” or even “ Grinch” , are among the most popular subjects used by hackers to entice users.

Panda says thousands of tweets have been launched using festive-themed phrases, such as “ Nobody cares about Hanukkah” or “ Shocking video of the Grinch” , along with short URLs pointing to malicious websites.

Users who click the link will be taken to a page that infects systems with false codecs by exploiting a security hole in PDF files and tries to trick users into downloading a codec that is really a downloader Trojan, which in turn downloads more malware onto the compromised computer.

In addition to subjects related to Christmas, cyber-criminals are using other hot topics to spread their creations, including the Sundance festival, the AIDS campaign and the Carling Cup.

According to Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’ s sub-Saharan operations, “ Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular with hackers because of their ever-increasing number of users, and the ease at which they (the hackers) can post malicious links. That’ s why the number of clicks, and therefore infections, tends to be very high.”

Keep your computer safe this Christmas

With the increased risk over the Christmas period, Panda offers users a series of practical security tips for using social media:

1) Don't click suspicious links from non-trusted sources. This should apply to messages received through Twitter, through other social networks and even via email.

2) If you click on the links, check the target page. If you don't recognize it, close your browser.

3) Even if you don't see anything strange in the target page, but you are asked to download something, don't accept.

4) If you do download or install an executable file and the PC starts to launch messages or behaves strangely, there is probably malware on your computer. In this case, you should check your computer with a free online scanner such as ActiveScan, available at: www.activescan.com

5) As a general rule, make sure your computer is well protected to ensure that you are not exposed to the risk of infection from any malicious code. You can protect yourself with the new, free Panda Cloud Antivirus solution (www.cloudantivirus.com).

“ It is important to remember that hackers will take advantage of any big holiday or event, which is why it is important to remain extra vigilant during these times” , concludes Matthews.

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/