Not all cybercriminal activities are intended to steal credentials. Several threat actor groups often compromise/penetrate social media accounts of public figures such as political leaders, entrepreneurs, and movie actors to show their presence and hacking capabilities. Recently, threat actors compromised the Twitter handle of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and posted a message regarding Bitcoins. However, the officials immediately secured the Twitter account and reported the citizens to ignore the post.
“The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter, and the account has been immediately secured. In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored,” the Prime Minister Office (PMO) said.
The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter and the account has been immediately secured.
In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 11, 2021
Investigation Underway
Following the incident, the Indian Computer Emergency Response System (Cert-In) asked Twitter for complete details regarding the hack and probed an investigation. The officials are working on identifying the adversaries behind this act.
Twitter’s Response
The officials at Twitter stated they took all the necessary security measures to restore the affected account as soon as it became aware of the activity. The company also confirmed that PM Modi’s Twitter account was not compromised due to any breach of its internal systems.
Also Read: How to Report and Regain Access to Your Hacked Twitter Account
Not the First Time
Earlier in September 2020, threat actors illicitly obtained access to PM Modi’s profile and posted a series of tweets asking followers to donate to a relief fund through cryptocurrency.
Besides, Bitcoin scammers carried out a high-profile hack that compromised nearly 130 Twitter accounts, including verified accounts of known personalities like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and corporate accounts of Apple, Uber, and many more. It was termed “The Greatest Twitter Hack” because multiple verified accounts were hacked simultaneously to scam people.
