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> “This is NOT a method, you will be given a full refund if for any reason you aren’t given the email/@, however if it is revered/suspended I will not be held a

by danso 6y ago

> “This is NOT a method, you will be given a full refund if for any reason you aren’t given the email/@, however if it is revered/suspended I will not be held accountable,” Chaewon wrote in their sales thread, which was titled “Pulling email for any Twitter/Taking Requests.” If access were being sold via message board, I wonder if the thread contains stipulations on which accounts are off-limits for being hacked. My theory to why we didn't see any active government officials accounts get pranked is because the hackers, no matter how confident they were about covering their tracks, still might have worried that such a breach would almost guarantee FBI/NSA-level involvement.

SahAssar 6y ago
You don't think that hacking biden and obama will do that too?
- adventured 6y ago
  They did, the FBI is involved now. "U.S. FBI is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hack, sources say" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-cyber-fbi-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-fbi-is-leading-an-inquiry-into-the-twitter-hack-sources-say-idUSKCN24H2PH https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-cyber-fbi-exclusi...
thinkloop 6y ago
Obama and Biden are part of it
- danso 6y ago
  Neither Obama nor Biden nor Bloomberg are "active government officials". They have no power to conduct U.S. government business, thus an intrusion on their private social media accounts is not going to be an obvious or immediate threat to the security of the U.S. government.
  - wgerard 6y ago
    Former presidents are still privy to a lot of information (e.g. they receive national security briefings still). Hacking their technology accounts is absolutely a threat to the security of the US govt, and is one reason the Secret Service specifically monitors their technology usage. I'd bet a lot of money the inclusion of people like Obama and Biden all but guaranteed the FBI/NSA get involved now, or at the very least the Secret Service.
    - danso 6y ago
      It's not just about access to information, but actual power and perceived power; the chances that the average rational person will be fooled and react to "The U.S. Treasury has been ordered to fast-track the evaluation and adoption of Bitcoin as an option for official government transactions" is much higher coming from Trump, Pence, Mnuchin, McConnell, or any number of the official social media accounts of U.S. agencies than it is for Obama or Biden. Sure, the latter could most definitely fool people, but that's possible with any famous account, like Elon Musk's or Kanye's.
      - wgerard 6y ago
        I think you're incorrect about the perceived power of a former US president, but regardless I don't think perceived power has any impact on whether the FBI chooses to investigate or not. That might be a fairy tale some black hats tell themselves, but it seems clear to me that compromising a former president's accounts has serious security implications for the US govt. Obama's access to information (both past and present) is such an overriding concern that his level of perceived power is basically an after-thought. The FBI often helps out with major breaches of all varieties, let alone ones that involve former heads of state. It's extremely unlikely they're not already involved in this one.
paulpauper 6y ago
it is possible trump account had a special measure in place to override the email reset to make it hack-proof.
- danso 6y ago
  What about Reps. Nancy Pelosi or AOC, both of whom are extremely visible and active politicians, and who draw similar kinds of ire as Obama/Biden?
  - WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
    They're active in the Politics game...
    - danso 6y ago
      So is Kanye West and Taylor Swift, who, like Obama, can do things like work full time as a registered lobbyist, and not have to publicly disclose financial investments or otherwise ever publicly respond to the public, and many other things that regular citizens are allowed to do.
- mlinsey 6y ago
  After a Twitter employee suspended Trump's account on their last day of work in 2017, I expect access to his account to do anything at all is much more highly restricted within Twitter's internal tools.

by danso 6y ago

SahAssar 6y ago

You don't think that hacking biden and obama will do that too?

adventured 6y ago
They did, the FBI is involved now. "U.S. FBI is leading an inquiry into the Twitter hack, sources say" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-cyber-fbi-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-fbi-is-leading-an-inquiry-into-the-twitter-hack-sources-say-idUSKCN24H2PH https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-cyber-fbi-exclusi...

thinkloop 6y ago

Obama and Biden are part of it

danso 6y ago
Neither Obama nor Biden nor Bloomberg are "active government officials". They have no power to conduct U.S. government business, thus an intrusion on their private social media accounts is not going to be an obvious or immediate threat to the security of the U.S. government.
- wgerard 6y ago
  Former presidents are still privy to a lot of information (e.g. they receive national security briefings still). Hacking their technology accounts is absolutely a threat to the security of the US govt, and is one reason the Secret Service specifically monitors their technology usage. I'd bet a lot of money the inclusion of people like Obama and Biden all but guaranteed the FBI/NSA get involved now, or at the very least the Secret Service.
  - danso 6y ago
    It's not just about access to information, but actual power and perceived power; the chances that the average rational person will be fooled and react to "The U.S. Treasury has been ordered to fast-track the evaluation and adoption of Bitcoin as an option for official government transactions" is much higher coming from Trump, Pence, Mnuchin, McConnell, or any number of the official social media accounts of U.S. agencies than it is for Obama or Biden. Sure, the latter could most definitely fool people, but that's possible with any famous account, like Elon Musk's or Kanye's.
    - wgerard 6y ago
      I think you're incorrect about the perceived power of a former US president, but regardless I don't think perceived power has any impact on whether the FBI chooses to investigate or not. That might be a fairy tale some black hats tell themselves, but it seems clear to me that compromising a former president's accounts has serious security implications for the US govt. Obama's access to information (both past and present) is such an overriding concern that his level of perceived power is basically an after-thought. The FBI often helps out with major breaches of all varieties, let alone ones that involve former heads of state. It's extremely unlikely they're not already involved in this one.

paulpauper 6y ago

it is possible trump account had a special measure in place to override the email reset to make it hack-proof.

danso 6y ago
What about Reps. Nancy Pelosi or AOC, both of whom are extremely visible and active politicians, and who draw similar kinds of ire as Obama/Biden?
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  They're active in the Politics game...
  - danso 6y ago
    So is Kanye West and Taylor Swift, who, like Obama, can do things like work full time as a registered lobbyist, and not have to publicly disclose financial investments or otherwise ever publicly respond to the public, and many other things that regular citizens are allowed to do.
mlinsey 6y ago
After a Twitter employee suspended Trump's account on their last day of work in 2017, I expect access to his account to do anything at all is much more highly restricted within Twitter's internal tools.