Twitter internal panel linked to account hijackings (vice.com)

Article summary

A Twitter internal panel was linked to a wave of high-profile account hijackings, with hackers convincing a Twitter employee to help them take over accounts. The hackers used the internal tool to change email addresses associated with the accounts and then reset passwords to gain control. The accounts were then used to tweet cryptocurrency scams. Twitter is investigating whether the employee hijacked the accounts themselves or gave hackers access to the tool.

Main themes

• Twitter account hijackings
• internal panel security
• social engineering attacks
• moderation and censorship
• security best practices
• insider threats

What commenters say

• The internal panel's features, such as the ability to change email addresses and reset passwords, may have contributed to the account hijackings.
• The attack may have been an inside job, with the hacker having access to Twitter's internal systems and tools.
• Restricting access to admin panels and using air-gapped systems could help prevent similar attacks in the future.
• The presence of a 'Trends Blacklist' and 'Search Blacklist' button in the internal panel raises concerns about Twitter's moderation and censorship practices.
• The leak of the internal panel screenshots may be legitimate, given the details shown in the images.
• Twitter's removal of the screenshots may be due to the images showing their internal backend, rather than a direct connection to the hack.
• The use of internal tools to manipulate user accounts and tweets is a significant security concern.
• Some commenters believe that the attack was well-coordinated and involved multiple people, given the number of accounts taken over and the speed at which tweets were deleted and re-tweeted.