Passwords plundered from gossip website Gawker were evidently used on Tuesday by hackers to flood micro-blogging service Twitter with booby-trapped spam about Acai berries.

Twitter users were being warned not to click on any of myriad "tweeted" links to websites promising information about Acai.

The links are likely booby-trapped with malicious software that could infect machines, perpetuating the spam messages or giving hackers control.

"Got a Gawker account that shares a password with your Twitter account?" Del Harvey of Twitter said in a message fired off at the microblogging service.

"Change your Twitter password. A current attack appears to be due to the Gawker compromise."

Gawker Media said on Monday that hackers looted passwords from servers handling nine of its websites including Gizmodo and Fleshbot. People who log-in at Gawker Media online properties were advised to change passwords immediately.

"We're deeply sorry for and embarrassed about this breach of security and of trust," Gawker said in a message posted online.

"We're working around the clock to ensure our security (and our commenters' account security) moving forward."

A group calling itself "Gnosis" claimed responsibility for the Gawker hack, according to the New York based Internet firm.

People were advised to vary passwords, especially if the same user name is on different accounts.