Twitter hack may have involved insider: probe

NEW DELHI : The Twitter hack that happened last week could have been caused either by human error or intervention, instead of security loopholes in the company’s systems, according to multiple investigations, including a probe by the social media giant.

The hackers targeted Twitter employees to gain access to its internal tools, which is unlike usual cyberattacks that tend to exploit vulnerabilities in a platform’s code.

On 15 July, multiple Twitter accounts of high-profile users were hacked. The attackers pushed a scam through these accounts, asking users to transfer money to certain Bitcoin accounts, saying that these celebrities would have the amount doubled. They accessed 130 Twitter accounts, including those of SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive Warren Buffet.