Monday, September 27, 2010

Twitter onMouseOver XSS Exploit Causes Chaos


The big news yesterday was an epic XSS flaw on Twitter that sent the micro-blogging service into chaos. They actually made an announcement during the hack that users should stay off the web-site and use 3rd party services through the API (Software such as Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Gravity etc).
They posted an update on the status blog pretty fast that the XSS had been identified and they were in the midst of patching it.



Hackers have exploited a flaw in Twitter, which results in pop-ups and third-party websites being opened despite users simply hovering over links with their mouse.
Hundred of Twitter users, including Sarah Brown – wife of the former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown – have fallen victim to the attack. In some cases the third-party websites that are open are pornographic. The malicious links containJavascript code, called onMouseOver, which allows users to redirected, even if they haven’t clicked on the link.
Graham Cluely from security firm Sophos said in a blog that at present the flaw is being exploited for “fun and games” although “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”.
Cluley advised Twitter users to avoid using the Twitter website and instead rely on a third-party client such as Tweetdeck to access the service.

25 comments:

  1. so many flaws on that website. i'm glad i don't have an account there.

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  2. Further proof that a couple lines of code, and cause alot of problems.

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  3. I lol'd when I heard about this. Glad I don't have a twitter.

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  4. this is exactly why I dont have a twitter haha

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  5. I love how hackers do better than programmers most of the time. they need to learn from sony.

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  6. Lol, stupid Twitter. Good game to them.

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  7. yea i don't use twitter either, never understood the point of it

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  8. twitter isnt my thing thankfully

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  9. Thankfully I don't use twitter... Crazy stuff though.

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  10. Be careful of where you surf

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  11. Haha, pretty funny. Hopefully they got Justin Biebers page and all the 10-16 yr girls now have virii.

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  12. Never used Twitter, never think I will either.

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  13. Wow. Like everyone else (lol) good thing I pretty much don't use twitter.

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  14. Cool man!
    Nice post
    supportin & follow you !!

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  15. The best thing was they said they were even already aware of it months before yet did nothing about it, like, WTF ?!

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  16. Amazing that hackers can find holes in domains such as twitter

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  17. I use Twitter and this doesn't worry me. I think a little caution on the users side -in general- will go a long way.

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  18. Great post man. Keep in touch... Look forward to more.

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  19. twitter is retarded i hate it

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  20. Great post!

    looking forward to reading the next one

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