Twitter hack raises alarm among government officials, security experts

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The recent account takeover attack underscores how Twitter and other social platforms have become a critical component of political systems worldwide.
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A hack of Twitter last week shook the foundations of the internet, cybersecurity, and political worlds. A gang of young people purportedly obsessed with OGusers, early Twitter adopters with one or two characters in their handles, ostensibly targeted 130 high-profile accounts and reset passwords and sent messages from the accounts of 45 “celebrities.” The hacks appear financially motivated, with the attackers fleeing with $121,000 worth of bitcoin generated through the scam messages they sent from the accounts of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and other personages.

Coming as they did during a period of high paranoia just a few months from the 2020 presidential election, the hacks seem somehow intermixed with the ongoing fear of the kinds of nation-state digital attacks that took place during the 2016 elections. The take-over of what has become a vital political platform attracted the attention of lawmakers, including James Comer (R-KY), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, who sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey demanding a briefing no later than July 24.

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