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3 Ways a Twitter Hack Can Hurt You

As Twitter investigates how several high-profile accounts were attacked, security expert Graham Cluley points to the potentials risks to all users when a system is compromised

By Joan Goodchild, Senior Editor

Identity theft
Much like with Facebook and other Web 2.0 tools, it is always possible people are sharing too much information, said Cluley, which could be useful for the purpose of identity theft or other illegal activity.

"Imagine you have fraudulent access to an account and you have ex you are stalking? There may be information up there you donâ¬"t want people to have."

Cluley said ultimately this news begs the question of why weren't Twitter systems more secure and what are the implications for the company.

"Some people are saying this ruins Twitter," said Cluley. "Twitter had been looking for a business model, a way to make money, and now that is no longer viable, according to some criticism. But I would say if that were the case, then e-mail and web sites would be no longer viable either. People are still going to carry on using Twitter. Twitter is becoming an enormous success story. This really is the first big headache theyâ¬"ve had. But it's an appalling start of the year for them on the security side."

Other stories by Joan Goodchild

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