Update scam targets TweetDeck users

Scammers are using a genuine upcoming TweetDeck update to cause confusion

Users of Twitter management app TweetDeck have been warned not to click on links that claim to be an update for the site but actually contain a Trojan program.

The application is set for a genuine overhaul starting today as part of an update to Twitter itself, and the scammers have used the situation to launch the malicious links.

A member of the TweetDeck team explained in a blog post that users should ignore the updates.

"We are seeing a number of updates on Twitter urging users to download a file called 'tweetdeck-08302010-update.exe' from a URL beginning with http://alturl.com/. These tweets are from hacked accounts and this file does not come from us," it read.

The firm added that users should download updates to the application only from the TweetDeck web site.

TweetDeck also explained five of the most popular ways the fake updates arrive, including, "TweetDeck will work until tomorrow, update now!" and "Hurry up for tweetdeck update!".

The changes to Twitter today causing apps such as TweetDeck to issue their own site updates centre around the move to OAuth, an authentication method which allows users to use third party apps without them storing their passwords.