Technology
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account hacked
San Francisco, Aug 31
Hackers on Saturday broke into Twitter Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jack Dorsey's account and posted a flurry of rogue tweets, including racial slurs.
The micro-blogging platform later said that it secured Dorsey's account which became victim of 'SIM swapping' or 'SIM jacking' where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.
By taking control of Dorsey's number, hackers posted tweets via text messages on his Twitter account.
A hacker group called 'Chuckling Squad' claimed that it was behind the cyber attack on Dorsey's Twitter account which has over 4 million followers.
"The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider," Twitter said in a statement.
"This allowed an unauthorised person to compose and send tweets via text messages from the phone number," the company added.
According to TechCrunch, one of the tweets posted a Twitter handle of someone who purported to take credit for the account takeover. That account was immediately suspended.
"We're aware that @jack was compromised and we are investigating what happened," said Twitter.
The tweets appear to have come via Cloudhopper, a company that Twitter previously acquired to help with its SMS service, reports The Verge.
The hacker appears to be from the same group that attacked YouTube celebrities last week on Twitter, including beauty vlogger James Charles, Shane Dawson, and comedian King Bach.
In 2016, the security firm OurMine hacked Dorsey's handle to send out a message about "testing your security."
OurMine also hacked the accounts of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai.
The accounts of Zuckerberg on both Twitter and Pinterest were compromised.
The hacker group 'OurMine' claimed that it was possible due to the LinkedIn password dump. Millions of LinkedIn user account details were leaked online in 2016.
The micro-blogging platform later said that it secured Dorsey's account which became victim of 'SIM swapping' or 'SIM jacking' where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.
By taking control of Dorsey's number, hackers posted tweets via text messages on his Twitter account.
A hacker group called 'Chuckling Squad' claimed that it was behind the cyber attack on Dorsey's Twitter account which has over 4 million followers.
"The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider," Twitter said in a statement.
"This allowed an unauthorised person to compose and send tweets via text messages from the phone number," the company added.
According to TechCrunch, one of the tweets posted a Twitter handle of someone who purported to take credit for the account takeover. That account was immediately suspended.
"We're aware that @jack was compromised and we are investigating what happened," said Twitter.
The tweets appear to have come via Cloudhopper, a company that Twitter previously acquired to help with its SMS service, reports The Verge.
The hacker appears to be from the same group that attacked YouTube celebrities last week on Twitter, including beauty vlogger James Charles, Shane Dawson, and comedian King Bach.
In 2016, the security firm OurMine hacked Dorsey's handle to send out a message about "testing your security."
OurMine also hacked the accounts of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai.
The accounts of Zuckerberg on both Twitter and Pinterest were compromised.
The hacker group 'OurMine' claimed that it was possible due to the LinkedIn password dump. Millions of LinkedIn user account details were leaked online in 2016.
1 hour ago
Lady Gaga: Joaquin was able to put heart into something not everyone could have done
1 hour ago
Vir Das wants Indian wear for International Emmys, calls for budding designers
1 hour ago
Siddhant Chaturvedi: I'm a big foodie
1 hour ago
'Fighter's' original script had Karan Singh Grover and not Akshay Oberoi facing a tragic demise
1 hour ago
Microsoft to reopen meltdown nuclear plant for AI energy needs
1 hour ago
SpiceJet QIP: Board okays 48.7 cr share allotment to raise Rs 3,000 cr
1 hour ago
Market outlook: Futures and options expiry, FII data and global cues key factors next week
1 hour ago
India, US to 'unlock' $1 billion to catalyse India's clean energy supply chain
5 hours ago
Quad nations to align their coast guards in new initiative
8 hours ago
PM Modi receives grand welcome from Indian community on arrival in US
8 hours ago
India, US closer than any time in history, says Biden after meeting PM Modi
8 hours ago
PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Biden, discusses global, regional issues: MEA
9 hours ago
PM Modi, Biden say Quad 'is here to stay'