After last week’s massive hack, Twitter has released new information on the attack. The hackers had broken into the accounts of Bill Gates and Elon Musk, among others. Through celebrity accounts, the hackers asked followers to donate Bitcoins to their online wallets. Twitter had responded by preventing blue-checked accounts from tweeting for a couple of hours.
Twitter’s latest news revealed that the hackers had also downloaded the celebrities’ account information. This information included direct messages. Out of the 130 accounts hacked, the hackers stole data from about 8 of them.
What Else Did the Twitter Hackers Do?
Gizmodo also reports that the hackers also reset the passwords and sent tweets from 45 of the hacked accounts. According to the report, Twitter believes the hackers “may have attempted to sell some of the usernames.”
The hackers had even managed to access personal information, such as email addresses and phone numbers.
Twitter says attackers downloaded account information, which includes direct messages, from some in hack. https://t.co/5ThvKUmU1J pic.twitter.com/UQlh6yIYx3
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) July 19, 2020
How Did the Twitter Hackers Get In?
An additional report from the New York Times says that one of the hackers had “access to Twitter’s most sensitive tools.” The hacker, who had the username “Kirk,” used the tools to control “almost any Twitter account.” With these tools, the hackers took over the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kanye West, among others.
The New York Times also suggested that the hackers did not belong to Russia. They were also not very sophisticated hackers. Instead, the hackers were young people who got to know each other online.
One of the hackers was in his mid-twenties and lived on the US West Coast. Another was 19, and he lived with his mother in southern England.
After the hack and Bitcoin scam, Kirk had made around $180,000.
What’s the Big Deal with the Twitter Hackers?
Hackers taking over celebrity accounts could pose a global risk. Numerous leaders, like US President Donald Trump, prefer to use Twitter to make announcements. Global agencies also use the site. Hackers could control their accounts and post hoaxes, which could lead to global chaos.
Twitter has vowed to take steps to address the hack. They have also apologized to its users.
