Worm attack created that could see Twitter users' machines taken over

Researchers at Secure Science have devised the attack that forces users to send out a predetermined Twitter message, but it could be repurposed into a worm.

Lance James, chief scientist with Secure Science, explained that the hack is similar to a clickjacking attack that was used on Twitter last month, where hackers used a technique to trick users into clicking on a link that would post the Twitter message saying ‘don't click' along with a URL.

However this time, the researchers found a way to take advantage of a programming error on the Twitter support site to post the unwanted message. After a warning message, Secure Science's test code posts the message ‘@XSSExploits I just got owned!' to the victim's profile. 

James claimed that the attack could be modified so that there was no warning screen, and a sensational message be planted that users would be more likely to click. If this were combined with malicious browser attack code, it could be used to take control of the machine. 

James said: “I'm holding my breath hoping no one does something stupid at this moment. We don't want to cause any damage to Twitter.”

See original article on scmagazineuk.com