According to the information, malicious actors would have had access to the internal administration panel of the platform to take control of the accounts of celebrities. Dozens of users who fell for the scam ended up sending several thousand dollars worth of Bitcoin to hackers.
The measures to reinforce the security of the platform come a few months after Twitter experienced a massive hack that affected hundreds of users, an unprecedented event in a social network of its kind. Allegedly orchestrated by a 17-year-old teenager, the attack breached the accounts of influential companies and personalities, including those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kim Kardashian, to spread a bitcoin scam.
Twitter strengthens security ahead of US presidential elections
The truth is that the historic attack now seems to be encouraging new security protocols within the popular platform, especially as the US presidential elections approach.
“Voters, political candidates, elected officials and journalists rely on Twitter every day to share and find reliable news and information about the elections, and we take our responsibility to them seriously,” the statement read.
According to the company, from now on, certain Twitter accounts must use strong passwords and can only reset them if they provide identifying information, such as an email or a phone number. The goal is that by enabling two-factor authentication, accounts have additional security beyond a username and password. You can also avoid any unauthorized password changes.
By Thursday, all election-related and “high-profile” accounts were notified and warned about taking additional security measures to protect their credentials. Accounts include all members of the US Congress and the executive branch, governors, presidential activists, political parties, and US media and political journalists, among others.
Anti-hacking measures
The new security features are not limited to just a select group of users. According to the announcement, anyone can take the necessary steps to ensure that their privacy and information are safe on Twitter.
While the security measures seem simple at first glance, hopefully, the new features are completely functional and able to prevent future attacks. It is also relevant to note that during the Haceko of July 15, the compromised accounts added about 346 million followers on Twitter, an influence that – in case it wanted it – could have had an irreparable impact on world markets, countries, governments, and other spheres of power.
As Vitalik Buterin himself, founder of Ethereum, pointed out at the time: “This attack could have caused serious damage. I am glad that a hacker motivated by Bitcoin profits got to the attack vector before many more nefarious actors seeking to leak private data, manipulate stock prices, manipulate elections, or start wars did. “
The massive hack in July was not the only one that targeted politically influential figures. Reports reveal that hackers breached Donald Trump’s account in 2016, just before the election. The following year an incident was also reported that saw the closure of the Twitter account of the current president of the United States. In a separate attack just two weeks ago, hackers hijacked a Twitter account of Narenda Modi, the Prime Minister of India, sending messages requesting cryptocurrency donations.
By: Jenson Nuñez
