A hundred and thirty high-profile users were compromised in the recent hack of Twitter, out of which the hackers successfully managed to reset the passwords of 45 of those accounts. Twitter on Saturday spread the word further mentioning that these attackers retrieved non-verified eight account’s information using the “Your Twitter Data” tool. Twitter added, “We’re embarrassed, we’re disappointed, and more than anything, we’re sorry. We know that we must work to regain your trust, and we will support all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.” It is on the 17th July this most high-profile security breach took place, where the Twitter handles of celebrities, tech moguls and world leaders were targeted. The tweets mentioned that the public figures were offering $2,000 for every $1,000 bitcoin sent to a random mentioned address.
This attack highlights a major flaw in Twitter’s security, especially when it has become an essential communication and networking tool during this ongoing global pandemic. The chief research officer at 221B, a cyber-security firm, believes that these attackers belong to the “OG” community, who’re interested in short, original Twitter handles. He further wrote, “Based upon what we have seen, the motivation for the most recent Twitter attack is similar to previous incidents we have observed in the OG community — a combination of financial incentive, technical bragging rights, challenge, and disruption. The OG community is not known to be tied to any nation-state Rather they are a disorganized crime community with a basic skill set and are a loosely organized group of serial fraudsters.” The breach raises a tonne of questions regarding Twitter’s ability to secure its communication services, especially against misinformation and election interference ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Which is why Nixon adds, “Victims of account takeovers generally do not know that the fraud has occurred, and generally cannot take security precautions to prevent it.” We can only hope that Twitter ups its security strength and ensures that this breach does not happen again.
