Twitter didn’t say whether the hackers read any of the world leaders’ private messages while logging in to their accounts.
Twitter Inc. said hackers have compromised several of its employees to provide passwords for internal systems and targeted 130 Twitter accounts including those of Joe Biden, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
The hackers have been able to reset passwords for 45 users, while eight have their data downloaded completely, including private messages, Twitter said in a blog post late Friday. While the hack targeted high-profile users including Barack Obama and Warren Buffett, Twitter later made it clear that data was not stolen from verified accounts without supplying identities.
The hackers may also have been trying to sell some of the accounts’ user names, it said.
“There are some details — particularly around remediation — that we are not providing right now to protect the security of the effort,†the company said. “We are continuing our forensic review of all of the accounts to confirm all actions that may have been taken.â€
For example, Twitter didn’t say whether the hackers read any of the world leaders’ private messages while logging in to their accounts.
Wednesday’s attack involved a global fraud, using the accounts of cryptocurrency companies, business leaders and celebrities to request Bitcoin transactions in return for a pledge to double the money. Twitter partners with agencies like the Federal Bureau Investigation to detect hackers and to determine the degree to which user data has been compromised.
