High-profile users in America were in for a shock as accounts of major companies and individuals were compromised. In a blitzkrieg, Bitcoin scammers targetted some of the most recognisable faces on Twitter.

Elon Musk's account posted the first of the mysterious tweets - it asked the Twitterati to send money to a Bitcoin wallet address which is like a bank account number for Bitcoin transactions.

Followers were told their money will be doubled. Soon, former president Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the world's richest man - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft's billionaire founder Bill Gates, the i-Phone maker Apple and several other verified accounts began tweeting similar posts.

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Millions of users follow these accounts and they fell into a trap. So far, the hacker has pocketed over 100,000 dollars but it took Twitter two hours to respond to the rapid hacks. For the first time ever it froze all verified accounts and all fake tweets were deleted but they began to reappear as fast as they were being erased.

The hacker was in total control as Twitter's two-step verification was easily breached. Twitter had an embarrassing answer - it said the hacker gained access to Twitter employee’s admin privileges. Technically, Twitter was the first to get hacked in the fiasco. CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted saying he feels terrible over what has happened but it is not the first time the social media platform has been hacked.

Last year Dorsey's account was hijacked and the company promised to fix the loopholes.

Clearly, it has not done enough and now the platform is facing its biggest scandal - the head of products at Twitter Kayvon Beykpour said sorry to users. However, it may not be enough to quieten the outrage. Politicians are a worried lot in the run upto to the US presidential election.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley has already written to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. The letter lists immediate concerns, reserving the most important question to the end: did the attack threaten the security of President Donald Trump's Twitter account?

The concern is justified, the hacker could have had a field day with Trump's account. Whoever is behind the hacking could have caused more damage as the access they had is unprecedented.

They were after money, hence caused no major harm to reputations, but Twitter will have to answer tough questions. It won't be long before investigation agencies come knocking.

Can Twitter really come out of this with its reputation intact?

High-profile users in America were in for a shock as accounts of major companies and individuals were compromised. In a blitzkrieg, Bitcoin scammers targetted some of the most recognisable faces on Twitter.

High-profile users in America were in for a shock as accounts of major companies and individuals were compromised. In a blitzkrieg, Bitcoin scammers targetted some of the most recognisable faces on Twitter. Elon Musk's account posted the first of the mysterious tweets - it asked the Twitterati to send money to a Bitcoin wallet address which is like a bank account number for Bitcoin transactions. Followers were told their money will be doubled. Soon, former president Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the world's richest man - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft's billionaire founder Bill Gates, the i-Phone maker Apple and several other verified accounts began tweeting similar posts. Millions of users follow these accounts and they fell into a trap. So far, the hacker has pocketed over 100,000 dollars but it took Twitter two hours to respond to the rapid hacks. For the first time ever it froze all verified accounts and all fake tweets were deleted but they began to reappear as fast as they were being erased. The hacker was in total control as Twitter's two-step verification was easily breached. Twitter had an embarrassing answer - it said the hacker gained access to Twitter employee’s admin privileges. Technically, Twitter was the first to get hacked in the fiasco. CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted saying he feels terrible over what has happened but it is not the first time the social media platform has been hacked. Last year Dorsey's account was hijacked and the company promised to fix the loopholes. Clearly, it has not done enough and now the platform is facing its biggest scandal - the head of products at Twitter Kayvon Beykpour said sorry to users. However, it may not be enough to quieten the outrage. Politicians are a worried lot in the run upto to the US presidential election. Republican Senator Josh Hawley has already written to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. The letter lists immediate concerns, reserving the most important question to the end: did the attack threaten the security of President Donald Trump's Twitter account? The concern is justified, the hacker could have had a field day with Trump's account. Whoever is behind the hacking could have caused more damage as the access they had is unprecedented. They were after money, hence caused no major harm to reputations, but Twitter will have to answer tough questions. It won't be long before investigation agencies come knocking. Can Twitter really come out of this with its reputation intact?

Bitcoin scammers hack Twitter accounts of high profile users in America

The domestic intelligence and security service of the United States FBI is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hacking of major companies and individuals, as more Washington lawmakers raised alarms about the breach of high-profile accounts on the social media platform.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/twitter-accounts-of-jeff-bezos-elon-musk-bill-gates-and-others-hit-in-major-hack-313558">Also read: Twitter accounts of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and others hit in major hack</a> 
 
Earlier the FBI had said that hackers appeared to commit cryptocurrency fraud after they seized control of the Twitter accounts of celebrities and political figures including Joe Biden, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama and Elon Musk. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latest-world-news-twitter-says-olympics-ioc-accounts-hacked-280911">Also read |&nbsp;Twitter says Olympics, IOC accounts hacked</a>

Yesterday, in a blitzkrieg, Bitcoin scammers targeted some of the most recognizable faces on Twitter.

Elon Musk's account posted the first of the mysterious tweets - it asked the Twitterati to send money to a Bitcoin wallet address which is like a bank account number for Bitcoin transactions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-a-man-hacked-google-maps-to-show-virtual-traffic-jams-with-99-mobile-phones-and-a-red-cart-278498">Also read |&nbsp;How a man 'hacked' Google maps to show 'virtual traffic jams' with 99 mobile phones and a red cart</a>

Followers were told their money will be doubled. Soon, former president Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the world's richest man - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft's billionaire founder Bill Gates, the i-Phone maker Apple and several other verified accounts began tweeting similar posts.

Millions of users follow these accounts and they fell into a trap. So far, the hacker has pocketed over 100,000 dollars but it took Twitter two hours to respond to the rapid hacks. For the first time ever it froze all verified accounts and all fake tweets were deleted but they began to reappear as fast as they were being erased.

A day after the breach, it was not clear if the hackers were able to see private messages sent by the account holders. US lawmakers worried about future attacks.

"While this scheme appears financially motivated...imagine if these bad actors had a different intent to use powerful voices to spread disinformation to potentially interfere with our elections, disrupt the stock market, or upset our international relations," U.S. Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

The domestic intelligence and security service of the United States FBI is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hacking of major companies and individuals, as more Washington lawmakers raised alarms about the breach of high-profile accounts on the social media platform.

The domestic intelligence and security service of the United States FBI is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hacking of major companies and individuals, as more Washington lawmakers raised alarms about the breach of high-profile accounts on the social media platform. Also read: Twitter accounts of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and others hit in major hack Earlier the FBI had said that hackers appeared to commit cryptocurrency fraud after they seized control of the Twitter accounts of celebrities and political figures including Joe Biden, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama and Elon Musk. Also read | Twitter says Olympics, IOC accounts hacked Yesterday, in a blitzkrieg, Bitcoin scammers targeted some of the most recognizable faces on Twitter. Elon Musk's account posted the first of the mysterious tweets - it asked the Twitterati to send money to a Bitcoin wallet address which is like a bank account number for Bitcoin transactions. Also read | How a man 'hacked' Google maps to show 'virtual traffic jams' with 99 mobile phones and a red cart Followers were told their money will be doubled. Soon, former president Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the world's richest man - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft's billionaire founder Bill Gates, the i-Phone maker Apple and several other verified accounts began tweeting similar posts. Millions of users follow these accounts and they fell into a trap. So far, the hacker has pocketed over 100,000 dollars but it took Twitter two hours to respond to the rapid hacks. For the first time ever it froze all verified accounts and all fake tweets were deleted but they began to reappear as fast as they were being erased. A day after the breach, it was not clear if the hackers were able to see private messages sent by the account holders. US lawmakers worried about future attacks. "While this scheme appears financially motivated...imagine if these bad actors had a different intent to use powerful voices to spread disinformation to potentially interfere with our elections, disrupt the stock market, or upset our international relations," U.S. Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, said in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

FBI leads probe into catastrophic Twitter breach

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Bitcoin scammers hack Twitter accounts of high profile users in America

FBI leads probe into catastrophic Twitter breach