Last night hackers hacked into several high-profile Twitter accounts which includes @PlayStation, Microsoft’s @XboxSupport, @Viacom, @ICRC (owned by the Red Cross), @Money etc. After being hacked, all the hacked accounts started posting links to services that are supposed to help users get free followers.
The hack didn’t target the mentioned accounts themselves, but using Twitter Counter. It is a service that provides statistics of Twitter usage and monitors tweets reach and clicks. So by this hackers obtained access to linked Twitter accounts and managed to post messages on their behalf. All the tweets posted where linked to websites whose purpose is to increase the number of followers for other accounts.
How many accounts were affected by the breach are not available right now but it is clear that the attack was specifically aimed at popular Twitter accounts.Twitter Counter confirmed in a tweet that the service experienced a breach and are currently working on this issue.
We can confirm that our service has been hacked; allowing posts on behalf of our users! We have launched an investigation into this matter.
— TheCounter (@thecounter) November 19, 2016
In an recent tweet, Twitter Counter said: As of now, the hackers CANNOT post on our user’s behalf anymore. We will keep you posted on any other updates!
However some other accounts were also targeted which includs the one owned by US National Transportation Safety Board, Charlie Sheen, Lionel Messi, astronaut Leland Melvin, and Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.
