Your hacked Twitter account worth $1,000 to criminals

Be careful with your passwords and your information, because cyber-criminals are selling hacked Twitter accounts and passwords online for up to $1,000. The accounts and passwords are traded on hacker forums, with prices ranging anywhere from $82 for a Gmail account to $1,000 for Twitter accounts. The cybercriminals then use those accounts as stepping stones to infect others' computers with data-stealing malware.

The new malware, or malicious programs, are placed on Internet sites and in e-mails and when accessed take over a computer searching for banking passwords or financial information. The new malware seems to be generic spying programs that steal as much information as possible from victims, including passwords to Web-based e-mail and Twitter accounts.