Twitter says it is suspending the ability to tweet via SMS after vulnerabilities led to multiple high-profile account hacks – including the site’s own CEO
- Twitter will suspend the ability to post tweets via SMS after multiple hacks
- News comes after actress Chloe Grace Moretz had her account compromised
- Less than a week ago, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also had his account stolen
- An SMS feature could be exploited if a user’s number has been stolen
- The platform said it will reactivate the feature once it’s secured
Twitter said it will suspend the ability to tweet via SMS following two high-profile hacks in less than one week.
News of the feature’s suspension came on Wednesday shortly after the account of actress Chloë Grace Moretz, who has appeared in movies like ‘Kick-Ass’ and a remake of the 1977 horror movie, ‘Suspiria,’ was briefly co-opted by hackers.
Infiltrators tweeted out several inane ramblings from Moretz’s account, including the word ‘Chungus,’ an internet slang that took off thanks to a slew of memes featuring an obese Bugs Bunny.
‘Big Chungus’ (pictured above) depicts an obese Bugs Bunny. The word ‘Chungus’ made an appearance on the Twitter account of actress Chloe Grace Moretz after being hacked
‘We’re temporarily turning off the ability to Tweet via SMS, or text message, to protect people’s accounts,’ said Twitter in a tweet.
‘We’re taking this step because of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed by mobile carriers and our reliance on having a linked phone number for two-factor authentication (we’re working on improving this)
Less than a week prior, Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, had his account commandeered.
Hackers used the opportunity to tweet out racial and misogynistic epithets to the Twitter founder’s more than 4 million followers.
Both accounts were regained shortly after being stolen and tweets were subsequently deleted.
Following Dorsey’s hack, Twitter stated that the flaw was a result of a ‘security oversight by the mobile carrier’ and said the issue had been resolved.
‘The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider. This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number. That issue is now resolved,’ said the company.
Twitter said it will suspend the ability to tweet via SMS following two high-profile hacks in less than one week
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was the victim of a hack several days ago. The attackers gained access to his account and tweeted racial slurs among other things
Twitter’s SMS feature which allows users who have their phone numbers linked to an account to post tweets by sending a text message to a code associated with their mobile carrier.
Given that functionality, hackers who have successfully stolen a number from a mobile carrier — not an infrequent occurrence — can then use it to post tweets to an account.
According to Twitter, its security team will work to secure the feature and will reactivate it once it’s more secure.
‘We’ll reactivate this in markets that depend on SMS for reliable communication soon while we work on our longer-term strategy for this feature,’ said the company.
While SMS posting is a legacy feature on the platform, Twitter has recently introduced a number of new tools that it says will help keep the platform safe.
Those include a new filter that sorts messages that ‘may contain offensive content’ into a separate inbox and a new moderation policy to examine posts that are reported to the platform for targeting certain religious groups.
11 STEPS IN JACK DORSEY’S WELLNESS ROUTINE
1. Meditation
He meditates twice a day. Dorsey aims for at least two hours in total daily.
2. Walking commute
Dorsey walks one hour and 15 minutes to the office but he works from home twice a week.
3. Short workouts
To substitute for days when he doesn’t walk to Twitter HQ, Dorsey does HIIT training and seven-minute workouts using an app. No personal trainer needed.
4. Sauna and ice baths
The social media CEO heats up in a sauna and cools down in an ice bath repeatedly for about an hour.
5. Near-infrared rays
Dorsey gets his heat from the inside out using a portable SaunaSpace tent which emits near-infrared rays. He also has a near-infrared light over his standing desk.
6. Cold showers
The Twitter co-founder begins the day with an ice bath but also never has a warm shower.
7. One meal daily
Dorsey only eats dinner and limits the time to get calories in between 6.30pm and 9pm. It keeps him alert throughout the day.
8. Weekend fasts
But he won’t consume food between Friday evening and Sunday night. He breaks the fast with bone broth.
9. Supplements
Dorsey only has a multivitamin and a ‘lots of vitamin C’ when he has his one meal per day.
10. Sleep monitoring
The microblogging website co-founder wears an Oura Ring to keep track of his REM. He says he can nod off in under 10 minutes but his pattern can get thrown off if he consumes too much red wine at dinner.
11. Journaling
Dorsey ends the day by noting down things to help him plan the following day of productivity. But he simply records it in his Notes app on iPhone.
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