Red Condor Warns of New Twitter Invitation Virus

May 27, 2009 - PRLog -- ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Email security experts at Red Condor are warning the general public about a new Twitter invitation virus currently being detected by only a few virus scanners. The email containing the virus, which was detected May 21, 2009 by Red Condor’s Zero Minute Defense Network, includes the subject line, “Your friend invited you to twitter!” and looks as if was sent from a Twitter account. The content of the email includes the following text: “Your friend invited you to Twitter.  To join or to see who invited you, check the attachment.” The attachment actually contains a file that appears to be a PDF, but is actually a virus executable.

“Twitter has become such a popular social media tool that it is now the subject of an escalating number of spam, virus and phishing attacks,” said Dr. Tom Steding, chief executive officer of Red Condor. “Because of Twitter’s dramatic user growth, people are regularly receiving email updates from new followers and direct ‘Tweets.’ Cybercriminals are hoping that Twitter users simply trust everything that comes with the tool’s name on it. Email users need to be aware of this new trend, and we highly recommend that if they receive this invitation, they should delete it and inform their IT department of the breach. Fortunately, thanks to our Zero Minute Defense and experts in the loop, Red Condor was able to respond quickly and deploy the appropriate rules to protect our customers’ networks.”

Red Condor’s Zero Minute Defense Network uses real-time knowledge gathered from the company’s worldwide sensor network to create new detection and protection rules, which are then sent out as updates on a continuous basis. Both Red Condor’s Hosted Service and MAG-series network appliances receive the automatic updates to ensure that customers’ email protection is always up-to-date.  The company’s technology, services and products are supported by Red Condor’s 24x7 Security Operations Center that constantly monitors all network activity to search for new email threats. When a new threat emerges, Red Condor’s technical experts can immediately respond, ensuring continuous ongoing deployment of new filters and rules.

About Red Condor
Red Condor is revolutionizing spam fighting with its next generation technology. Red Condor’s highly accurate email filter, hybrid architecture Vx Technology™, and fully managed appliances lead to a dramatic reduction in the cost of owning a premium spam filter. With solutions for small business, as well as ISPs with millions of email inboxes, Red Condor has a cost-effective, time-saving solution that is rapidly gaining market share. The system’s design has built-in zero tolerance for lost email, and a near zero false-positive rate while achieving long-term spam block rates greater than 99%. This next-generation technology is backed by a 24x7 customer care center staffed by email security experts at Red Condor’s headquarters. For more information, visit http://www.redcondor.com.