Adobe Flaw Leaves Millions of Twitter Users at Risk

Security researchers are warning the Twittering world that their credentials may be vulnerable to hackers. The most disturbing news, however, is that the problem, which exploits Adobe System's Flash programming language, was first discovered almost four years ago.

Mike Bailey, a senior security analyst with Foreground Security in Orlando, Florida has informed Twitter of the flaw. However, all warnings seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Most website operators have downplayed the severity of the situation, even though it could compromise many users.

No Restorative Actions to Date

Frustrating still, Bailey believes that it would take as little as a few hours to correct the error by changing the way the site is programmed. On top of that, Adobe has even laid out ways to address the vulnerability for programmers. Still, no restorative action has taken place.

As popular as the microblogging site has become, hackers were bound to follow the next social networking trend. Twitter especially has become a prime target for hackers, because they are able to spread their malicious software to millions of users around the world quickly and easily.

Twitter Becoming Frequent Target

This would not be the first time that Twitter has been the target for hackers with cruel intentions on their minds. Last month, a hacker successfully hijacked the social network site and redirected it to one that claimed to represent a group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army. (Source: itpro.co.uk)

The attack made international news and was done by an individual who had stolen the account credentials that Twitter used to route its traffic. However, unlike in the case of the Adobe flaw, the previous hijacking did not compromise the credentials of Twitter users.

Users Vulnerable for Over a Year

Bailey believes that Twitter users may have been vulnerable to attack for over a year now. However, it is impossible to know for sure whether hackers had actually exploited the Adobe flaw during that time. (Source: financialpost.com)