Chesnot/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/FilmMagic
- Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey's official Twitter account was hacked on Friday, following a string of other odd incidents where YouTube celebrities and influencers were similarly targeted.
- The hackers apparently used a tactic known as SIM swapping or SIM hacking: hackers can publish tweets on a victim's profile using Twitter's "tweet-to-text' service, after they trick a phone service provider into transferring a victim's cellphone number onto a phone owned by the hackers.
- Cellphone users can protect themselves from a similar attack by setting PIN codes on their accounts, or using a third party two-factor authentication system, according to Wired.
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Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey's official Twitter account was hacked on August 30, shocking his followers as his account spewed racial slurs, anti-Semitic tweets, and more offensive content, before all the tweets and retweets were eventually removed.
According to an initial Twitter statement, a "security oversight" by the provider let the hackers gain control. Twitter's communications team later clarified that "the phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider."
The hack appears to be from the same group that attacked a number of account belonging to YouTube celebrities last week on Twitter, including beauty vlogger James Charles, Shane Dawson, and King Bach.
Daniel "Keemstar" Keem, who has communicated with the hackers on several occasions, suggested in a tweet that the phone service provider was to blame, and alleged that the company inadvertently allowed hackers to call in and request a SIM card change on behalf of the high-profile accounts.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
The tactic lines up with Twitter's explanation for the Dorsey hack, which the company said was caused by hackers using a phone number to send the tweets through text messages.
Such a tactic is often known as "SIM hacking." It occurs when a hacker tricks a mobile carrier into transferring the victim's cellphone number onto a new phone - one that's owned by the hackers. The hackers can then use Twitter's "text-to-tweet" service to publish tweets on the victim's account.
Wired reported that smartphone users can protect themselves from SIM swapping by adding a passcode to their carrier account or using a third-party app - such as Google Authenticator and Authy- for two-factor authentication.