WASHINGTON (US) – Social media giant Twitter Inc said on Saturday that cyber criminals were able to download information of up to eight accounts this week, adding that none of them were verified accounts.
Hackers targeted as many as 130 accounts, and were able to reset passwords and tweet from them, said the firm.
They gained access to Twitter’s internal systems to hijack some of the key accounts, including those of US presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former US President Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk in a bid to solicit crypto currency.
Other high-profile accounts that were targeted include those of rapper Kanye West, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, investor Warren Buffett, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and the corporate accounts for Uber and Apple.
“Hackers manipulated a small number of employees” to access the internal support tools, said the company in a statement.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
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