A U.K. citizen pleaded guilty last week in New York to his role in cyberstalking and other computer hacking schemes, including the July 2020 hack of Twitter.
Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, former head of security at Twitter, has accused Twitter of “extreme, egregious deficiencies” in its spam and hacker-fighting practices.
Much of the focus around Elon Musks’ Twitter takeover has centered around how he will treat free speech on the platform. But, two of his promises may have bigger implications for cybersecurity.
Recently, Dutch media reported the alleged hacking of Donald Trump’s Twitter account after a Dutch researcher correctly guessed the president’s password: “maga2020!” Security researcher and ethical hacker Victor Gevers could access to Trump’s direct messages, post tweets in his name and change his profile, De Volkskrant newspaper reported. Now, BBC News reports Dutch prosecutors confirmed the hack and claim Gevers provided proof of the hack.
Recently, two teens and a young adult infiltrated one of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies in a high-profile hack – and the biggest ever for Twitter. Authorities say the 17-year-old “mastermind” used social engineering tactics to convince a Twitter employee that he also worked in the IT department and gained access to Twitter’s Customer Service Portal. The 130-account takeover proved unique, as it was fundamentally a dramatic manipulation of trust and could have had far more world-changing consequences if the attackers had the aspirations of say, a dangerous fringe group versus that of a teenager. There are a few takeaways to learn here, especially when it comes to considering redefining what we classify as “critical infrastructure” and what must be protected at all costs.
According to research that examined false tweets from Hurricane Sandy and the Boston Marathon bombing, 86 to 91 percent of active Twitter users spread misinformation, and that nearly as many did nothing to correct it.
Two-thirds (67%) of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media – with two-in-ten doing so often, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center.
A national survey of 1,520 adults conducted March 7-April 4, 2016, finds that Facebook continues to be America’s most popular social networking platform.
