Twitter Bitcoin Hack Caused by Phone-Based Phishing Attack

Twitter has disclosed much more specifics about the July fifteen incident in which hackers have been ready to access the accounts of a selection of high-profile consumers to solicit bitcoin payments.

In a blog submit, the enterprise claimed hackers focused a little selection of staff by means of a cellular phone spear-phishing attack to attain specific staff credentials that authorized them to access interior support tools.

“This attack relied on a major and concerted attempt to mislead sure staff and exploit human vulnerabilities to get access to our interior devices,” Twitter claimed. “This was a placing reminder of how significant each and every man or woman on our team is in preserving our services.”

In complete, hackers focused one hundred thirty accounts and sent tweets from forty five of them. The enterprise claimed the hackers also accessed immediate messages of 36 consumers and downloaded Twitter information from seven consumers.

Amid the high-profile consumers whose accounts have been accessed have been Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Kanye West, Invoice Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and Jeff Bezos. Tweets sent from the accounts available to double the income that visitors sent to an nameless bitcoin account. Hackers reportedly stole much more than $113,500 by means of the plan.

Graham Clule, a cybersecurity analyst in the U.K., claimed that by means of the cellular phone spear-phishing attack, a hacker probably certain an staff to hand in excess of credentials.

“When the worker identified as the selection they may possibly have been taken to a convincing (but pretend) helpdesk operator, who was then ready to use social engineering approaches to trick the intended victim into handing in excess of their credentials,” Clulely wrote in a blog submit.

He claimed the Twitter update debunked the strategy that an staff assisted in the hack.

Twitter, citing the ongoing legislation enforcement probe, claimed it would supply a much more in depth report at a later date.

“Since the attack, we’ve noticeably restricted access to our interior tools and devices to make certain ongoing account security though we comprehensive our investigation,” the enterprise claimed.

Kim Kulish/Corbis by way of Getty Images

hackers, Twitter