A new financial scam has been unearthed in which scamsters are exploiting the Twitter Blue service to dupe users, which once again shows the downside of distributing the blue checkmark to anyone who is willing to pay for it.

A new financial scam has been unearthed in which scamsters are exploiting the Twitter Blue service to dupe users, which once again shows the downside of distributing the blue checkmark to anyone who is willing to pay for it. Twitter users are being targetted by crooks impersonating banks or banking officials, according to a New York Post report. When a user posts a complaint related to their bank account by tagging the bank (say @ICICI or @Wellsfargo), the scammer posing as the customer service representative approaches them. The scamster usually quote tweets the original tweet and gives a helpline number to the user. Once the customer takes the bait and calls on the number, the scammer manages to collect private information such as login credentials to access the user's bank account. Thanks to Elon Musk's newly launched Twitter Blue subscription service, scammers are able to buy the blue checkmark and trick customers into believing that the particular Twitter account is the legit and official handle of the company. ALSO READ | Twitter to make its code used for recommending tweets public, says Elon Musk With Musk announcing the removal of legacy checkmarks soon, the companies will have to quickly apply for Twitter Blue or risk letting customers fall prey to such elaborate scams yet again. This is not the first instance where Twitter has been used by pranksters and scammers. Last year, after the rollout of the blue checkmark subscription service, a Twitter user impersonating basketball player LeBron James demanded a trade from NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers. Similarly, American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly lost billions after its stock plunged following a tweet by a fake, verified account posing as the company. The account tweeted that Eli Lilly, one of the largest producers of insulin in the world was selling it for free. Before the error was rectified, over $15 billion in market cap was erased. WATCH | Elon Musk: Twitter will charge $8 per month for Blue Tick × “We apologise to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account. Our official Twitter account is @LillyPad," the company said in a clarification statement later. Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last year but soon found out that the company was red in most financial metrics. To drive up the revenue, Musk launched the $8 verification system which has received a mixed response so far. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Scammers using Twitter Blue tick to steal bank passwords. Here’s how the scam works

Experts have warned that criminals can make use of heat-detecting cameras to crack passwords. Researchers discovered that these cameras can help crack passwords up to a minute after typing.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed a tool called ThermoSecure System that used thermal images in combination with artificial intelligence to make "informed guesses" of what the password could be, reported Bloomberg.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: The Perils of Technology

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"They say you need to think like a thief to catch a thief," says Mohamed Khamis of the Scottish university's School of Computing Science.

He added that his team developed ThermoSecure by "thinking carefully about how malicious actors might exploit thermal images to break into computers and smartphones."

Their findings have been published in the journal ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/iphones-crash-detection-feature-assumes-woman-enjoying-rollercoaster-has-been-in-crash-calls-911-524339" hreflang="en">iPhone's crash detection feature assumes woman enjoying rollercoaster has been in crash, calls 911</a>

<h2>How often can passwords be cracked?</h2>

Two words answer is 'quite often'. The system successfully cracked around 86 per cent of the passwords when a thermal image was clicked within 20 seconds of typing in the secret code or password.

It even successfully cracked long passwords of around 16 characters. However, the success rate for this was lower at 67 per cent.

Shorter passwords had a higher success rate. Up to 12 characters were guessed right on 82 per cent of the tries, eight characters were cracked right on 93 per cent of attempts and six character codes were successfully worked out 100 per cent.

When the time was increased by 10 seconds and the thermal image was clicked in around 30 seconds the success rate dropped to 76 per cent and a further drop to 62 per cent was seen at 60 seconds of typing.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-successfully-launches-its-first-solar-observatory-523984" hreflang="en">China successfully launches its first solar observatory</a>

<h2>How does it work?</h2>

When we touch an object a small part of our body heat is transferred via conduction. Thermal images detect this heat and these areas show up a little bit brighter in the picture.

If a user types in his/her password and leaves the device unguarded, any passerby equipped with a thermal camera can capture an image that reveals the heat signature. This 'thermal attack'&nbsp;can then give away your passwords, codes etc.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Experts have warned that criminals can make use of heat-detecting cameras to crack passwords. Researchers discovered that these cameras can help crack passwords up to a minute after typing.

Experts have warned that criminals can make use of heat-detecting cameras to crack passwords. Researchers discovered that these cameras can help crack passwords up to a minute after typing. Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed a tool called ThermoSecure System that used thermal images in combination with artificial intelligence to make "informed guesses" of what the password could be, reported Bloomberg. Watch | Gravitas: The Perils of Technology "They say you need to think like a thief to catch a thief," says Mohamed Khamis of the Scottish university's School of Computing Science. He added that his team developed ThermoSecure by "thinking carefully about how malicious actors might exploit thermal images to break into computers and smartphones." Their findings have been published in the journal ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security. Also read | iPhone's crash detection feature assumes woman enjoying rollercoaster has been in crash, calls 911 How often can passwords be cracked? Two words answer is 'quite often'. The system successfully cracked around 86 per cent of the passwords when a thermal image was clicked within 20 seconds of typing in the secret code or password. It even successfully cracked long passwords of around 16 characters. However, the success rate for this was lower at 67 per cent. Shorter passwords had a higher success rate. Up to 12 characters were guessed right on 82 per cent of the tries, eight characters were cracked right on 93 per cent of attempts and six character codes were successfully worked out 100 per cent. When the time was increased by 10 seconds and the thermal image was clicked in around 30 seconds the success rate dropped to 76 per cent and a further drop to 62 per cent was seen at 60 seconds of typing. Also read | China successfully launches its first solar observatory How does it work? When we touch an object a small part of our body heat is transferred via conduction. Thermal images detect this heat and these areas show up a little bit brighter in the picture. If a user types in his/her password and leaves the device unguarded, any passerby equipped with a thermal camera can capture an image that reveals the heat signature. This 'thermal attack' can then give away your passwords, codes etc. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Thieves can use thermal camera and AI to crack your password. Here's how

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Scammers using Twitter Blue tick to steal bank passwords. Here’s how the scam works

Thieves can use thermal camera and AI to crack your password. Here's how