One of the most common forms of malware is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT). The purpose of RAT is rather simple. They enter a system, take screenshots and pull data and send all of this back to a source. This can result in a lot of damage as well as vast amounts of data getting stolen. It seems like there is a new form of malware going around, and it is using Twitter to get to where it needs to go. Moreover, this malware is spreading using Twitter memes.
Photo: PA Wire/PA Images
This malware essentially sits and waits for a command from someone using a Twitter account. The owner of this Twitter account will also be the person that created this malware in the first place. This Twitter account would post a meme that would have a "/print" order hidden within the code. The malware would detect this code and subsequently take a screenshot of whatever computer it is currently affecting. The malware then receives instructions on where it needs to send the data that it has collected through a Pastebin post. This is a pretty novel way for the malware to get around, and it certainly shows creativity on the part of the person that created it.
It seems like the Twitter account that was spreading these malware containing memes has now been suspended.
It is good that the malware itself was not all that serious, in that it was not able to glean any heavy data from the computers that it was infecting. Twitter users should beware, though. This shows that there is a vulnerability in Twitter’s code. It seems like this year has been all about data breaches occurring on big social media sites. This trend seems set to continue into 2019 as well.
Photo: PA Wire/PA Images
This malware essentially sits and waits for a command from someone using a Twitter account. The owner of this Twitter account will also be the person that created this malware in the first place. This Twitter account would post a meme that would have a "/print" order hidden within the code. The malware would detect this code and subsequently take a screenshot of whatever computer it is currently affecting. The malware then receives instructions on where it needs to send the data that it has collected through a Pastebin post. This is a pretty novel way for the malware to get around, and it certainly shows creativity on the part of the person that created it.
It seems like the Twitter account that was spreading these malware containing memes has now been suspended.
It is good that the malware itself was not all that serious, in that it was not able to glean any heavy data from the computers that it was infecting. Twitter users should beware, though. This shows that there is a vulnerability in Twitter’s code. It seems like this year has been all about data breaches occurring on big social media sites. This trend seems set to continue into 2019 as well.
