Google Account Hacked for Fake Bitcoin Reward

Widely used social media site Twitter has been battling to halt an increasing trend of accounts' hacking, largely the verified accounts belonging to famous celebrities, prominent brands, even crypto-currency exchange employees and owners.

In one such instance, cyber criminals hijacked Google's account and used it for dispatching an advertisement about their scam business through a tweet. The fraudulent business tries enticing unwitting consumers into taking part within a program designed for victims to supposedly earn reward of 10,000 BTC. For that the participant just needs spending a few dollars and be the lucky one winning the high denomination sum, thus claims the advertisement. Threatpost.com posted this, November 14, 2018.

Appearing on top web-page of the Google A/C as well as inside its feeds lasting some ten minutes, the fake ad further posed as lawfully declaring that at present and even later the G Suite of Google will take payments in crypto-currencies as well.

The compromising of the Twitter A/C belonging to Google's G Suite occurred in just hours of a likewise happening with Target the retail giant in USA. Target admitted the incident and said it could not regulate its Twitter A/C over half hr-or-so.

The retailer's twitter account displayed a tweet telling there was one crypto-currency reward the company had fixed but it resulted in more than $38,000 worth of Bitcoins getting filched from Target's consumers. The retailer publicly expressed regrets to its consumers while elaborated on the situation. But, this must be to a great displeasure for Target regarding Twitter's manner of consenting with the problem, which spread uncontrollably on the website, while still escalating.

Meanwhile, Twitter indicated there had been some more security breaches of its accounts, so it had deployed certain counter-measures designed for foiling any future incidences of crypto-currency scams.

A crypto-currency scam like this as well targeted Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin who as a result reset username for his Twitter A/C as Vitalik 'Not giving away ETH' Buterin. He further sought Twitter's intervention.

But Graham Cluley independent security researcher squarely blames Twitter for the latest problem, suggesting a two-phase verification compulsorily for verified A/Cs through Google Authenticator.

» SPAMfighter News - 11/20/2018