Posted on Tuesday, September 21 2010 @ 17:50 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Earlier today hackers had found a flaw in Twitter that could be abused to insert "onMouseOver" JavaScript code that automatically gets executed when users put their mouse cursor over the hacked tweets. The bug has been fixed just over an hour ago, but it caused a lot of problems as it spread like a wildfire.
Most external Twitter programs were not affected by the issue.
The Twitter website is being widely exploited by users who have stumbled across a flaw which allows messages to pop-up and third-party websites to open in your browser just by moving your mouse over a link. In a worrying development, messages are also spreading virally exploiting the vulnerability without the consent of users.
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It looks like many users are currently using the flaw for fun and games, but there is obviously the potential for cybercriminals to redirect users to third-party websites containing malicious code, or for spam advertising pop-ups to be displayed.
More info
at Sophos Security.
