Security News > 2022 > November > As Twitter brings on $8 fee, phishing emails target verified accounts

Following Musk's tweets, BleepingComputer observed newer phishing campaigns emerging with threat actors now targeting verified accounts.

Like many phishing emails, these emails convey a false sense of urgency, urging the user to sign-in to their Twitter account or risk "Suspension."

Twitter blue badge with a checkmark have traditionally been offered to verified accounts of politicians, celebrities, businesses, public figures, influencers, news organizations and journalists.

In other scams, threat actors have hacked verified accounts to impersonate another person to mislead the public or to send Twitter users fake 'account suspension' DMs. Musk has dissed the existing verification process as "Twitter's current lords & peasants system."

If the blue badge becomes commoditized and available to just about anyone willing to shed $8 a month, Twitter will need to rethink its process to add authenticity to notable accounts.

One of the ways to achieve this could be, for example, to continue the use special labels on Twitter accounts of politicians and state-affiliated entities, which then creates some distinction between authentic accounts of public figures and those with a paid blue badge.

News URL

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/as-twitter-brings-on-8-fee-phishing-emails-target-verified-accounts/