That e-mail attachment is not a Twitter invite

Twitter invites have a URL in the e-mail and not an attachment like this worm attack does, Symantec says.

(Credit: Symantec)

Symantec is warning about a mass-mailing worm that comes in an attachment pretending to be a Twitter invite.

"The observed messages appear as if they have been sent from a Twitter account; however, unlike a legitimate Twitter message, there is no invitation URL present in the body," a Symantec blog post says. "Instead, the user will see an attachment that appears as a .zip file that purportedly contains an invitation card."

The name of the attachment is "Invitation Card.zip" and Symantec identified it as W32.Ackantta.B@mm, a worm targeting Windows computers that was discovered in an e-card virus attack in February, according to Symantec. The worm gathers e-mail addresses from compromised PCs and spreads by copying itself to removable drives and shared folders.

[bobmarleypeople]

durrrrrrrrrr this attachment looks legit! **click** GAAAAAAA!!!!!<br /><br />&lt;/stupid&gt;

[sythara]

Lol, exactly. <br /> <br />The biggest vulnerability in Windows is a ******* user. <br /> <br />PEBKAC as we used to call it.

[JonathonStriker]

oh, and all this time I thought it was some stupid stalker really trying to get me to join ANOTHER site, like I don't have enough. I'm on facebook, don't currently have need for twitter, and sure wouldn't except a non-friend invite.

[ElizabethMoressi]

Wow Twitter is in more twouble. This site clearly needs a PR firm to get everyone feelin "warm and fuzzy" about them. Well at least they keep us in the loop about the constant phishing scams plaguing them. <br /><br />Extended Validation SSL across all SocNet sites would be a huge push in slowing down the phishing. I am sure there is a performance issue, but really most users given the chance to opt in would probably be willing to compromise a bit of speed for some security.

[setjeff15081947]

Anybody remember the opening sequence to the movie "Live Free or Die Hard"? Boom! The hacker kid gets blown out of his shoes. Are we closer than we care to think to that? Do I dare open another E-mail? I've kind of gotten used to having my intestines inside of me.

[Harrison912]

Since I have a web site dedicated to safety and security products, I'm always interested in helping keep things a bit safer. Thanks, Elinor, for the heads-up.