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When on Twitter, beware the Pretty Rabbits bearing gifts
I've been hanging around Download Squad HQ enough to know that our readers love hearing about Twitter ad nauseam, and that none of those readers fear being RickRolled or ever click on links originating from profiles they wouldn't trust. But just in case you should happen upon this post from an outside source, and you aren't a regular DLS reader (gasp), there's something you need to know.The BBC reported today that the first Twitter-specific attack has been discovered by the fine folks at Kaspersky. The fake profile uses the name "Pretty Rabbit" in Portuguese -- and it's frustrating me to all ends that I can't seem to find a reference or semi-accurate translation of what that user name might actually be -- and claims that clicking the tweeted link will take the viewer to YouTube for some adult video action.
But because there is so much wrong in this world, errant clickers don't get to see the adult video -- at least, not without paying the price. Instead, a fake version of Flash is downloaded, which has the hidden skill of harvesting all sorts of data and transforming your beloved Twittering machine into a zombie node, allowing bad men, women and rabbits to wreak criminal havoc all over the web.
Similar worms have been discovered on MySpace and Facebook, so please, choose your friends wisely.
The offending malicious applications only affect Windows-based systems. No word on whether the faux-Flash works with Linux or Mac, so while those users (who are over 18, of course) are safe from the malware, they will probably not get to see the exciting video Pretty Rabbit in Portuguese was referring to.
UPDATE: On behalf of everyone at DLS, I'd like to give a big thanks to Ed Mercer for the heads up that though the Portuguese username literally translates "Pretty Rabbit," the word "coelhinha" is often associated with Playboy Playmates/Bunnies. "Pretty Playmate" may be a more accurate translation in this case.
Comments
12
Subscribe to commentsAlex L.Aug 5th 2008 12:47PM
For all it's worth, "coelho bonito" would be the literal translation for "pretty rabbit"
coelho = rabbit
bonito = beautiful/pretty
XerloqAug 5th 2008 12:54PM
Coelho Bonito, Coelino Bonitinho, Coehlo Fofo.
Coelho is Portuguese for Rabbit, coelhino is little rabbit, or bunny.
Good luck.
Alex MAug 5th 2008 12:50PM
It should be something like "lindo coelho."
Alex L.Aug 5th 2008 1:03PM
Lindo, is more in the lines of "beautiful" than pretty. And different from English, in Portuguese and Spanish the adjective usually comes after the noun.
XerloqAug 5th 2008 12:54PM
Coelho Bonito, Coelino Bonitinho, Coehlo Fofo.
Coelho is Portuguese for Rabbit, coelhino is little rabbit, or bunny.
Good luck.
jjfarrenAug 7th 2008 4:36AM
http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/twitter-spam.jpg
MilesLocManAug 5th 2008 1:15PM
i soo saw something like this coming just surprised it took so long think about how many people use twitter and about how easily something like this could spread oh wait, I DID i just want to know some numbers on how many people actually got hit
Kristin ShoemakerAug 5th 2008 2:04PM
It would be interesting to know... but I'm not sure they've nailed that down yet. The details at BBC and Kaspersky were/are still a little scant, so I think there is still some forensic work being done.
Kristin ShoemakerAug 5th 2008 1:58PM
Hey, thanks all! Knew I'd get some help from our Portuguese speaking readers (hey, I know there are many programs to translate... and they never quite get it *right*).
EdMercerAug 5th 2008 2:25PM
Just a reminder, we do get the Playboy magazine here in Brazil, so a "bunny" ("coelhinha", the feminine diminutive of rabbit) can be a synonym of a Playboy Playmate. ;)
Kristin ShoemakerAug 5th 2008 2:51PM
Hey Ed,
I responded to this once before, and it seems that our software is being difficult. Time to go flog the web guys.
Thanks so much for that... That's actually really interesting. It could be, then, that the BBC or Kaspersky or whoever coined the "Pretty Rabbit in Portuguese" name was actually missing a pretty key cultural reference. Pretty Playmate makes a bit more sense than rabbit in this sense.
Sweet! Thanks for cluing us in. Wow, our readers rock.
Kristin
kevjohnAug 12th 2008 9:15AM
Are you sure your readers LOVE reading about Twitter all the GOT-damn time, or do you guys just love writing about it all the GOT-damn time?