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A security flaw in Twitter Allowing hackers to break into the accounts of political leaders and tech entrepreneurs is one of the most serious tech attacks in recent years and undermines trust in a platform that politicians and company bosses use to communicate with the public, experts said.
The flaw discovered on Wednesday included fake tweets from Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and also from billionaires in the tech sector like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos; Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; and Tesla boss Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian West were also hacked.
The hackers They used social engineering to attack Twitter employees and gain access to high-impact accounts. They sent tweets from the accounts of those personalities in which they offered US $ 2,000 for each US $ 1,000 sent to an anonymous address of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
Digital security experts say such a flaw could have dire consequences as hackers tweeted from verified, globally influential accounts with millions of followers.
“If you receive a tweet from a verified account that belongs to a trusted, well-known person, you can no longer assume that it really comes from them,” said Michael Gazeley, managing director of cybersecurity firm Network Box.
Twitter quickly deleted the messages and locked the accounts to investigate. This prevented verified users from sending tweets for several hours.
The company said Thursday that it has taken “significant steps to limit access to internal tools and systems.”
Many celebrities, politicians, and businessmen often use Twitter as a public platform for making statements. US President Donald Trump routinely tweets about national and geopolitical issues, and the press, analysts, and world governments follow him.
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