Slashdot Mirror
Twitter Closes Hole After Attack Hits Up To 500K Users
chicksdaddy writes "Twitter closed an ugly cross site scripting hole in its Web page Tuesday morning, but not until a fast moving attack, including at least two Twitter worms, compromised hundreds of thousands of user accounts. At its height, the attacks were hitting 100 Twitter users each second, putting estimates of the total number of victims at around 500,000 according to researchers at Kaspersky Lab."
How complicated is it to write somewhat secure software that processes 140 character messages?
I treat it more as an RSS feed. A lot of people use it to link to full articles, and as a means of just sharing links to information it's great.
Yet, you read and post Slashdot comments.
It's no fun complaining about something if no one sees or hears you doing it.
I have a theory that this is also why Facebook and Twitter have gained so much popularity. Half the updates I see on either are complaints about work, chores, some person who won't be named but must be publicly called out on some unspecified charge and/or the weather.
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
No, I don't use Twitter. Yes, I see the point of using Twitter. No, I don't go around telling people how great life is without Twitter.
I'm sure that there are thousands of fantastic services out there, both on the internet and IRL, for which I have no use, and loads of great services for which I can't even envisage a practical use.
Another thing; your own viewpoints aren't the only ones and likely to be incorrect or incomplete when thoroughly scrutinized. Deal with it.
Actually, no, as a means of just sharing links to information it sucks, because you generally can't fit URLs and useful description into 140 characters--so you either have to skip describing the thing you're linking to, or you have to obfuscate the URL through a redirection service.
Facebook, delicious.com, Tumblr etc are much better ways of sharing links to information.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
I really don't get the twitter hate.
I don't like facebook, but I can see its value, particularly if you manage it right and use it to share news and photos with friends and family etc. there are other valuable uses, but I use the example.
I still dont use it.
I don't use bebo, or myspace, or facepalm or crotchpunch.
Doesn't mean I have to hate on them.
I use twitter in much the same way other people have mentioned. I don't follow twitter shitters. (people who tweet constantly about inane shite) But I do follow people who provide interesting information, along with people I know and a range of news sites from aljazeera to bbc, to the NZ news site stuff, to Scientific american, and a range of others!
I follow a range of people, and I Find twitter useful because i can fire up my smartphone, pull up my twitter client and get a "snapshot of the world" and that's really what it is, any big news event happens, anywhere in the world I would probably put money on the fact I'll hear about it before anyone who isn't on twitter and isn't directly affected.
XKCD did a great comic about how people could hear about an earthquake via twitter before the actual shockwaves hit them.
but in short, if you don't want to use twitter, then don't, but all that your raging anti-twitter stance says is "I tried twitter but nobody followed me back"
so obviously you had nothing to add, therefore thank you for not using the service, you've increased its value already!
"This is my Sig. there are many like it but this one is mine."