IANS | 17 Nov, 2018
Micro-blogging site Twitter has confirmed that a third party software
provider is responsible for the series of cryptocurrency-related
hackings on its platform.
A Twitter spokesperson said attackers
exploited a third-party marketing solution to blast fake Bitcoin
giveaway links from a slew of verified accounts, The Next Web reported
on Friday.
The confirmation comes days after a number of
high-profile public figures and brands including Elon Musk and Google
got their accounts breached to propagate malicious cryptocurrency
giveaway links.
To make the accounts appear legitimate, the scammers used accounts with Twitter's own verification mark.
In
such cases, clicking on any of the links in the scam guided users to a
page where they were urged to send anywhere from 0.1-one Bitcoin to the
scammers -- with the promise that they would receive one-10 Bitcoin as a
reward, the media had reported.
But the victims never received any Bitcoin after sending money to the scammers.
The scam is made to seem more trustworthy as various other compromised accounts reply to the tweet claiming that it works.
"The
confirmation the hackings originated from a third-party app explains
how the attackers managed to run the Bitcoin giveaway scam at such a
large scale and in such an organised manner," the report added.
