Last Updated on 09/12/2021 by Nidhi Khandelwal
A new phishing attempt has started targeting verified Twitter accounts.
On Twitter, verified accounts are identified by a blue label with a check mark. Notable influencers, significant celebrities, politicians, journalists, activists, as well as government and private entities, are often represented by these accounts.
The phishing attack comes after Twitter recently removed checkmarks from a number of verified accounts, claiming that they were ineligible for legendary status and had been confirmed in error.
BleepingComputer discovered a phishing effort targeting verified Twitter users over the weekend.
In the phishing email below, the Twitter user is urged to “update” their information in order to avoid losing their verified status.
It’s worth noting that the email got it past Gmail’s spam filters:
Unsurprisingly, Twitter’s continuous removal of blue badges has ruffled a lot of feathers on Twitter, as accounts with the blue badge are frequently seen as distinguished, significant, and expected to lead by example—at least, that’s what Twitter tells you after you’ve been verified
Some have speculated that the date of Twitter’s widespread blue badge removal correlates with changes in the company’s senior leadership, after former CEO Jack Dorsey’s resignation and the passing of the baton to CTO Parag Agrawal.
