By Aaron Miller-
Security researchers claim to have found a new kind of malware that takes its instructions from hidden codes in memes posted to Twitter.
The malware quietly infects a vulnerable computer, takes screenshots,and pulls other data from the affected system before sending it the malware’s control server, The Eye Of Media.Com has heard.
Computers that are not vulnerable have nothing to worry about since the malware operates mainly through such computers , particularly those without anti-virus software. Computers that are vulnerable can potentially spread the virus top other platforms via twitter, but sources told this publication that secure computers or lap tops should be generally safe from the undesirable malware. The news is bound to shake faith in the world’s most popular social media platform, but experts from twitter are reportedly keeping the matter within limits and addressing it.
The malware without warning uses twitter as a channel to contaminate other vulnerable platforms.The malware issues commands from a Twitter account run by the malware operator. The researchers found two tweets that used steganography to hide “/print” commands in the meme images, and command the malware to take a screenshot of an infected computer. The malware then separately obtains the address where its command and control server is located from a Pastebin post, which directs the malware where to send the screenshots — 10/10 points for creativity, that’s for sure.
In worrying developments, researchers say the memes uploaded to the twitter page includes commands like processors retrieve to retrieve a list of running apps and processes, “/clip” to steal the contents of a user’s clipboard and documents to retrieve documents from specific folders. Twitters shares fell by 7% after the giant company reported unusual traffic coming from China or Saudi Arabia
The twitter bug corrupted one of Twitter’s support forms, exposing user details like phone numbers country code, as well as providing private information like whether Twitter had locked the account. Twitter believed the flaw was caused by state-sponsored actors like Russia or Saudi Arabia to gain information about twitter accounts.
It comes on a day when the social media giant was held to account over the old story of Russian interference during the U.S 2016 elections. Twitter admitted that malicious actors had targeted African Americans during the U.S elections, and attempted to divide the U.S