A Twitter cyberattack has prompted the social media network to issue warnings to some users of the social media site. It would appear that attackers have attempted to gain access to the accounts of a limited number of individuals, but those attacks do not appear to have resulted in a breach of user data.
Twitter cyberattack prompts warnings to be sent to site users
The warnings appear to have only been sent to certain United States based users of the website. The emails warn users that foreign government-backed hackers are targeting the site and are attempting to steal user data. According to the warnings, user account data is not believed to have been obtained and, if it has, only a small amount of personal data would have been revealed.
Twitter has offered some suggestions to any users that have been targeted to allow them to take action to reduce risk. They have been told they can switch to the Tor network to access their accounts, or it was suggested they tweet under a pseudonym.
It would appear that the attackers responsible for the Twitter cyberattack are attempting to get the phone numbers, email addresses, and IP addresses. It is conceivable that the individuals were targeted to allow the hackers to send out tweets from the users’ accounts.
The warning alerted users to a “small group of attackers” who are targeting the site. If another Twitter cyberattack is attempted, the social media site will send out a warning email to advise the affected party or parties of the attempted attack.
Latest Twitter cyberattack appears not to be random
The Twitter cyberattack appears to have targeted specific users of the website. The individuals and companies that the attackers have targeted are security experts or activists. Coldhak, a not-for-profit company dedicated to improving privacy, security, and freedom of speech, was one of the organizations that the hackers attacked.
Twitter is currently conducting a full investigation into the attempted hacking of Twitter accounts. The warning indicates that the social media microblogging platform is being ultra-cautious and is alerting users as a proactive step to prevent a breach of customer data, as well as reducing the potential damage caused by an attack.
Both Facebook and Google have recently sent out warnings to users of their services alerting them to suspicious account activity. Those warnings alerted users to activity by foreign government-backed hacking groups. It would appear that Twitter is taking a leaf out of their books.
This is not the first Twitter cyberattack of course. In February 2013, Twitter reset the passwords of 250,000 users after hackers compromised accounts and gained user names, passwords, and other sensitive data. In 2010, the social media site was attacked and Japanese users of the site were directed to porn websites when attempting to access their Twitter accounts.