# Twitter Used to Control Botnet - Host: [gigaom.com](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/hosts/gigaom.com/) - Saved: August 15, 2009 (2009-08-15T05:03:59Z) - Record: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/f11faa92b42b/ - JSON: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/f11faa92b42b.json ## From the page (probably an excerpt, not Jamie's words) Twitter might be revolutionizing social communication, but it’s also providing a handy way for hackers and virus makers to issue commands once their creations are out in the wild. Symantec has determined that a trojan horse called “Downloader.Sninfs” was using the @upd4te Twitter account to send obfuscated commands to infected machines. Twitter has since disabled the account in question. While it’s hardly the only site that malware makers could use, the social messaging service’s massive growth make it a logical place from which to widely distribute obfuscated information. Such use raises the possibility that Twitter could be applied for a number of similar, far less insidious purposes, however, such as by intelligence services as a supplement or replacement to number stations. Your Web is Wireless. Mobilize 09 $595 Regular, $395 limited time Register now! ## Facts - Kind: [Page](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/kinds/page/) ## Same host - [Lifetime's Digital Strategy For Project Runway Includes Streaming On Demand For First Time](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/45d592b2c054/) (gigaom.com, August 20, 2009) - [Twitter To Charge For Premium Accounts Later This Year](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/0f06cb13e867/) (gigaom.com, August 22, 2009) - [On Mobiles, There’s No Stopping Webkit](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/e00e8526b308/) (gigaom.com, August 24, 2009) - [Coworking News: Hacker Dojo Opens Its Doors](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/7c087ed0eda3/) (gigaom.com, August 24, 2009) - [Finally, Facebook 3.0 for the iPhone Is Here](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/42758162a614/) (gigaom.com, August 27, 2009) ## Saved the same week - [First Interview After Acquisition With FriendFeed And Facebook](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/29c5ad3378ca/) (techcrunch.com, August 10, 2009) - [You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Part Two](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/d750d79379a4/) (washingtonmonthly.com, August 10, 2009) - [Seattle Surprise](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/bb1096b3929f/) (newspaperdeathwatch.com, August 10, 2009) - [How a Macworld Cover Is Made](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/bc67cfd17b33/) (blog.peterbelanger.com, August 11, 2009) - [More cold water from Gregory Clark](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/d6f1b3b0e760/) (blogs.law.harvard.edu, August 16, 2009) ## Elsewhere - Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://gigaom.com/2009/08/14/twitter-used-to-control-botnet/