Risk: Informational
Some MySpace users have been targeted by phishers attempting to steal their MySpace account information. The attempts have come from a spoof site set up in California that has now been closed. If a user clicked on a malicious hyperlink in an AOL IM message, they were directed to the spoof website, where they were prompted for their login information, then redirected to the real MySpace site after logging in.
When accessing the fake site, victims also had a cookie installed on their PC, which prevented the phishing attack from being displayed on subsequent visits. This follows recent publicity surrounding two US teenagers who were charged with computer hacking and attempted extortion after infiltrating MySpace's security, and refusing to tell how they did it unless MySpace paid them $150,000. They were arrested at the end of May and face up to four years in jail if convicted.
As phishing and scamming attacks evolve, MySpace has reacted by using crime prevention technology to monitor its 60 million users' online behaviour.