City
Epaper

Minor hacker who broke into Twitter CEO's account arrested

By IANS | Published: November 25, 2019 10:38 AM

The hacker, a minor who hacked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account by the 'SIM swapping' technique in August and sent out numerous anti-semitic and Nazi-related tweets has been arrested.

Open in App

Authorities arrested the individual who is part of The Chuckling Squad, a hacker group behind Dorsey's hack that has also claimed responsibility for hacks of other celebrities, including actress Chloe Grace Moretz, Motherboard reported on Sunday.

"He was a member of Chuckling Squad but not anymore. He was an active member for us by providing celebs/public figure [phone] numbers and helped us hack them," a leader in the hacking group known as "Debug" was quoted as saying.

Debug said the group kicked out the member behind Dorsey hacking in October.

In that hack, the individual obtained Dorsey's phone number.

"The rest of the hack was completed by themselves and other Chuckling Squad leaders known as Aqua and NuBLoM," informed 'Debug'.

"We applaud the efforts of all the law enforcement agencies involved in this arrest," said Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, which manages the Regional Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT).

Hackers in August broke into Twitter CEO's account and posted a flurry of rogue tweets, including racial slurs.

The micro-blogging platform later said that it secured Dorsey's account which became a victim of 'SIM swapping' or 'SIM jacking' where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.

"The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider," Twitter has said in a statement.

"This allowed an unauthorised person to compose and send tweets via text messages from the phone number," the company added.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Chloe Grace Moretz
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalUK knife attack: Indian-origin teen tried to get inside a house before collapsing

EntertainmentWarner Bros 'Tom and Jerry' movie set to hit theaters this February

Lifestyle'Tom & Jerry' to release in Indian cinemas on February 19

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

TechnologyStudy reveals how children with hypertension at higher long-term risk for serious heart conditions

TechnologyApple to introduce iPad Pro models with OLED displays for 1st time

TechnologyISRO moves ahead in development of 2,000 kN thrust semi-cryogenic engine

TechnologyWipro, Microsoft to launch GenAI-powered assistants for financial services

TechnologyICICI Bank now lets NRIs use international numbers for UPI payments in India